Notes from the Wild Edge: The Year Doesn’t Need Your Plan Yet

The calendar has turned, but most people haven’t.

And in fact, this is perfect.

Early January is often treated like a starting gun. Plans. Goals. Decisions. Momentum.

But in reality, this part of the year is rarely about action.

It’s about orientation.

Orientation is different from planning. It’s the quiet process of understanding where you actually are - internally - before deciding where to go next.

When leaders skip this step, January fills quickly with movement that looks productive but feels strangely off. Effort without clarity. Direction without conviction.

What I see, again and again, is that the most grounded leaders don’t rush this moment.

They let the body catch up with the calendar. They notice what feels complete. They pay attention to what feels heavy, stale, or misaligned. They listen for what wants to be different - without forcing an answer.

Orientation doesn’t require insight. It requires honesty.

Honesty about what last year asked of you. What it cost. What it changed.

And honesty about what you’re no longer willing to carry forward, even if it once made sense.

This is the stage where instinct starts to return.

Not as a command. Not as a five-year vision.

But as a subtle sense of this way feels truer than that one.

That’s enough for now.

You don’t need certainty yet. You don’t need a fully formed plan. You don’t need to act.

You just need to be oriented.

Because once orientation is in place, clarity arrives much faster - and decisions become effortless. With flow and ease.

If this week feels quieter than you expected, trust that.

Stillness at the start of the year is not hesitation. It’s intelligence.

There’s no next step required here.

Just the permission to slow the pace enough to notice where you’re actually standing - before choosing where to walk next.