Take the L.E.A.P.!: A Guide to Recalibrating in the 2024 Leap Year

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye,
life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coehlo

Hey, Audacious You!

Happy Leap Year 2024! To all the leapers out there, I wish for you a frolicking, rollicking birthday celebration. May you celebrate all 👏🏽 year 👏🏽 long 👏🏽! 🥳

A Time of Recalibration

The leap year is a time of significant recalibration; we sync our artificial calendar year to match our solar year. This syncing not only produces an extra full day, but preserves the consistency of our seasons.

As above, so below. The leap year phenomenon serves as an important timestamp and therefore, an opportunity for us to recalibrate the orbit of our lives.

Sometimes, realignment begins simply (but oh so profoundly) with a leap of faith.

As the writer Paulo Coehlo advises,“[i]f you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”

Between “Goodbye” & “Hello,” There’s a LEAP!

For some of us, it’s the getting to “brave” that’s the challenge. But to become proficient at any endeavor requires practice. Becoming brave is no exception; you’ve got to ACT your way into being brave!

I present here a mantra and guide for our recalibration work. When in doubt, remember to LEAP!

L: Lean In

Lean in on seminal learnings and insights you’ve gained over the years, especially in novel situations. Remind yourself that you’ve got lived experiences, know-how, wins, and wisdom on your side. Leverage them!

Remind yourself that YOU ALREADY ARE! You’ve overcome challenges and hardships and demonstrated resilience through them all. Trust that you will prevail. Trust that your grit and ingenuity–hello, Black women! 👏🏽–will engineer a soft landing.

Above all, trust that life is a function of spiritual truth and under no circumstances, can you fail at life. So go for broke!

E: Experiment

Experiment (and then evaluate) to discover what moves the needle for you. In other words, develop a design and prototyping mindset. Be willing to tinker. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Abandon the crippling notion of perfection, that somehow you must bat a thousand every single time. Your risk taking will unearth new possibilities and move you ever closer to the outcomes you desire.

Ultimately, YOU are the architect of your life. At any given moment, you can shift your focus to align with what matters most to you.

A: Act

Act! Even when you don’t feel like it or are afraid. Act! Nothing happens without action. Take small steps. Celebrate the wins. This is how you increase your motivation and boost self-confidence. Repeat.

Act! Be willing to adapt. Your plans will encounter obstacles. Remember, no worthwhile mission is ever achieved in a linear, frictionless trajectory. Your adaptability and grit are keys to cultivating personal leadership.

P: Pursue

Pursue that which is important to you with unyielding determination and passion. Worthwhile pursuits give meaning and direction to our lives. As human beings, we are endowed with infinite potential but a finite lifespan to actualize that potential.

Make your years count by doing what you love, what feels good to your soul, and what serves your highest good. Pursue, also, people and things that fuel and honor you.

May this be the year that you take a LEAP of faith
into your next best forward movement.

Need support getting to “brave” or implementing the LEAP concepts? We’re here to help and only a click away. Contact us.

About Glenda M. Francis

Glenda M. Francis is the founder of Audacious Inner Works Institute, a personal development and capacity building service organization based in New York. She is an ICF credentialed life coach specializing in confidence building, women’s wellness and power, and life design. Glenda is deeply committed to supporting Black women to unpack pain, rewrite scripts, and thrive as architects of their lives. Contact Glenda for coaching, consulting, or speaking engagements.