What I’m Thinking About
Have you ever chosen a single word for the year – one that serves as your North Star? I learned about this practice a few years ago while working with some incredible colleagues, and the concept has stuck with me ever since. For the past two years, my word was curiosity. It had such a profound impact on my thinking during the first year that I decided to keep it for another.
As this new year begins, it’s time to choose my next word. I don’t overthink the process; in fact, it often feels like the word chooses me. For 2026, that word is authentic. This year, I’ll make a conscious effort to bring authenticity into everything I do – my work, my relationships, and even the way I relate to myself. Why authenticity? Not because I think I’ve been inauthentic, but because I’ve rarely given the idea my full attention.
To me, being authentic means recognizing my true self and allowing that self to show up in all situations. Of course, there are moments when we need to be more formal or more lighthearted, that’s not inauthenticity, that’s simply situational awareness.
So how will I know when I’m being authentic? I think it’s when I feel most at ease with myself, regardless of the circumstances. Paying attention to that internal sense of comfort, while also being mindful of the people around me, will be my compass for the year ahead.
Why not join me? What will your word be for 2026?
Something Practical You Can Use
A notebook. Plain and simple. Using an actual paper notebook may be one of the most practical tools you can adopt. Don’t just take my word for it – consider the research. Yes, there’s such a thing as paper scholarship.
Roland Allen, author of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper, offers a fascinating and thoroughly researched exploration of how notebooks have shaped human creativity. Drawing on extensive notes and references, Allen traces the notebook’s evolution and shows how people across the centuries have used them for invention, governance, music, exploration, and discovery.
He also brings the paper notebook’s value into the present, highlighting its role in easing PTSD, ADHD, and trauma. Personally, I find it’s an easy way to capture thoughts and, yes, to manage to-do lists. But more importantly, taking notes on paper during meetings, interviews, and in-person gatherings helps me stay fully engaged – far more than typing on any device ever could.
Perhaps I’m a bit old-school, but I try not to go anywhere without a notebook. Even technology guru Cal Newport praises the benefits of carrying one. My favorite has a hard cover, spiral binding, and lays perfectly flat. I also keep a classic yellow legal pad handy at (almost) all times.
Spotlight
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America – read this book! Brian Goldstone’s 2025 work is absolutely brilliant, and it’s receiving the recognition it deserves. New York Times bestseller status aside, its power lies in how Goldstone tells the stories of five families struggling to survive in Atlanta. Their experiences are heartbreaking (this is not a bedtime read) but the deeper outrage comes from how housing in America is not treated as a right and can, in fact, be wielded as a weapon.
Goldstone joins the ranks of Matthew Desmond, Michael Harrington, and others who have given voice to those too often deprived of basic necessities and dignity, while exposing the structural flaws that keep America from living up to its ideals. There Is No Place for Us is a vital and deeply human book – and it belongs on every bookshelf.