(I038) Heart % : Choosing My Hard
I’ve spent a lot of time lately talking about being tired. For over a decade in the HR world, I valued output over presence and survival over connection. I used to wear my title as Director of People and Culture like a badge, proud that I could absorb the pressure and stay steady. But the truth is, I was just misallocating my Kokoro: that place where my heart, mind, and soul all meet.
I looked around and saw everyone else was tired too. I started this journey because I thought we all needed permission to stop and pivot. But I was wrong. You never needed permission to find alignment. You just needed the curiosity to realize you weren't failing, you were just root-bound.
The Pot Was Always Too Small
In my book, Ensō: A Tree Still Grows, I talk about this specific kind of stuckness. Imagine a tree planted in a ceramic pot. Eventually, those roots hit the wall. They start to circle and get compressed, searching for space in soil that went dry a long time ago.
That heavy, "tired" feeling? That was the sound of our roots hitting the porcelain. For years, I tried to patch the cracks and just "tough it out." I was adding more water and soil to a container that was already breaking, wondering why nothing was being absorbed.
Choosing the Hard of the Open Ground
Alignment isn’t a mindset. It is a practice of breaking the container.
There is a very specific kind of "hard" that comes with letting the old pot shatter. It feels messy and vulnerable. Your roots are exposed to the raw earth of the unknown. But this "hard" is so much more rewarding than the hard of suffocating in a space you outgrew years ago.
2025 was the growth ring where I stopped being a "container" for everyone else's pain. I became an author. I stood behind my own voice without apology. The "hard" of writing my truth was nothing compared to the "hard" of staying hollow. The moment my roots hit the open soil, the exhaustion turned into agency.
2026: The Year of Expansion
As we look toward 2026, the question isn’t "How do I do more?".
The question is: "How much room do my roots actually need?".
2026 is looking for Expansion. It is the courage to occupy the space your Kokoro actually demands.
Curiosity is the first crack in the ceramic.
Alignment is your roots finally finding the deep water.
Truth is the trunk growing thick enough to withstand any storm.
The Choice
If you feel cramped or restless, do not try to shrink yourself back down to fit the pot. Don't wait for the world to give you the go-ahead.
Be curious about the ground outside the porcelain. 2025 was the year I became clear. 2026 is the year we grow tall. The pot served its purpose while you were small, but you aren't small anymore.
Stop patching the cracks. What is the one thing you know you need to toss onto the compost pile today to finally make room for your own expansion?
I will send you my one page Founders Tree for 2026 worksheet to help you prepare for the new year.
Type "Heart %" in the comments below and I will DM you a copy of the worksheet.
—
よくやったね。 今年はここまで。
— Anette Lan
Author of Ensō: A Tree Still Grows
