My mother-in-law is Chinese, and obsessed with her children. I joke that if she could bronze JD, she’d place his statue on her mantle and shine it daily.
I met her when I was just 17 years old, slightly terrified of her get-it-done, no-nonsense attitude.
- Once—while eating at a dim sum restaurant—we were told our party was too large for one circular table, so she took matters into her own hands and pulled in another large table by herself, adding chairs around both tables. She looked at the gawking waiters and simply nodded once, as if telepathically saying I DARE YOU TO TELL ME OTHERWISE.
She’s fiercely loyal, generous, and quietly thoughtful. She cooks your favorite food when you visit, and sends you home with leftovers carefully packed in reused peanut containers.
When JD and I married at 25, she introduced me to her Lunar New Year traditions, my favorite being small red envelopes filled with cash, symbolizing good luck and prosperity.
On January 29—the start of the 2025 Lunar New Year—my daughter Luna received her red envelope and a stuffed animal from her grandmother.
It’s the year of the snake, which symbolizes intuition and transformation.
In even simpler terms, it’s a year to shed (like old snake skin) what isn’t serving you.
We’re not even at the end of Q1, and the SHED IS REAL…am I the only one who’s experienced this?
I’ve slowly said no to things and opportunities that aren’t in business alignment. And when I didn’t shed them, they stripped themselves.
Not easy, but good.
I’ve taken to asking myself three questions to help me know what to shed in my business, to hone my focus and step into a new version of leadership.
- When it comes to the tasks you’re working on, are you the ONLY person who can do it?
- If not, what systems must be created to hand it off to someone else?
- By what date will the system be created, and what date will you stop doing it?
One thing to take into consideration is that the snake is said to be resilient and able to overcome challenges.
I don’t know about you, but I hope this year is the start of stepping into (and becoming) something new, even when it’s hard.
To shedding what isn’t serving,
j*
P.S. While my mother-in-law has had a great personal impact, on my podcast, I’m talking about the 3 people who impacted me the MOST last year and the changes in my business as a result of their power. Listen >HERE<.
