Spring Forward


Reader,

It's finally Spring. Although this week in New Jersey, it dropped to 30 degrees. Twice.

While driving earlier this week, I saw the Cherry Blossoms and the early buds from the Lilac trees - my favorite - and it make me think...

Spring is the only season on the calendar where growth is non-negotiable.

Nothing in nature debates it.
Nothing waits to feel ready.
Nothing holds onto what no longer works.

Flowers bud.
Trees bloom.
Grass turns green.

Growth even through the 30-degree day delays.

Spring is a mirror. It's a mirror for each one of us.

While everything around you is expanding—are you?

Early in my career, working with Martha Stewart—not at the peak, but on the way up, just after she bought back her brand from Time Inc.—she did something that I thought was silly [I may have said stupid at the time].

She wanted the business to go big. Not incrementally. Exponentially.

She pushed HARD for results as you might imagine, but she also designed for growth.

She saw the company the same way she looked at her homes, her land, and her gardens.

Everything alive.
Everything connected.
Everything expected to grow—together.

So each division was assigned a tree, a different species of tree. No kidding. Each department was given a tree name.

Martha named herself the Oak Tree for its strength and resilience. There was some talk of her being the Birch Tree because of what it closely sounded like...but I digress.

If one tree didn’t grow, it affected the whole ecosystem that was now called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Growth wasn’t optional. Excellence was expected in this season and every season going forward. She was clear: Growth has a cost.

More pressure.
More expectation.

Most people say they want growth but resist what growth requires.

That’s where the parallel to Spring is.

Nature doesn’t hesitate.

It doesn’t question the conditions.
It doesn’t wait for certainty.
It doesn’t cling to what no longer fits.

It just grows.

But most of us do the opposite.

We wait.
We overthink.
We hold on.

We say we want more but keep operating from what’s familiar. So while everything around you is expanding, you stay the same.

Even when you know that pruning is what accelerates growth, you hold on.

That’s the real risk. Not that growth isn’t happening. But that it’s happening without you.

Where are you still waiting…in a season that’s already moving?

Growth comes with your willingness to meet it.

You are the biggest influencer in your life, and when you recognize and take action from your own influence, it's a game-changer.

Have fun this Spring. With the longer days, brighter surroundings and blooming beauties, why not bloom yourself?

What if?

Why not?

Answer those questions until you get to 'I must'.

Be your own muse this Spring.

Get your copy of The Possibility Press! Email me your address.

  • Research supporting the new leadership operating model
  • Becoming a Creator
  • A Future Self Exercise
  • The 10 Lies of High Achievers

Do you have a clear vision for your future? Are you making decisions each day from your future?

If not, take my 5-minute assessment HERE.



316 Ashland Road, Summit, NJ 07901
Unsubscribe · Preferences

Christina Langdon

After 30 years working for big name media brands including Martha Stewart and Fast Company, leading sales and marketing teams, I now help leaders achieve more than they think possible. Sunday Sunshine is my weekly newsletter that's about you, your future, and your success. Getting out of our default habits with insights on mindful productivity and lifelong learning, actionable ideas and exercises to have you hitting the week full of energy and enthusiasm. It's the best way to beat the Sunday Scaries.

Read more from Christina Langdon
Fear and optimism ask the same from us--to tkink about a future that hasn't happened yet.

Reader, If you’re anything like me, you can go from that feeling of Let’s go! to absolute dread in the blink of an eye. You’re having a great day, and then an email or text comes through that hits like a brick. A trigger. And then suddenly, the anxiety hits and your day takes a turn. Here’s what I’ve learned to help me manage the swings that each day brings. Both optimism and anxiety ask us to do the same thing: To think about a future that hasn’t happened yet. This is so important that it’s...

Are you carrying it all?

Reader, There’s a version of success no one warns you about. It’s the one where you become the one. The default problem-solver. The decision-maker.The go-to-gal. Over-ownership. Over-responsibility. Over-functioning. On paper, it looks like leadership. In reality, it starts to feel like… weight. It doesn’t show up as burnout at first. It shows up as: Being the one everyone relies on A mind that never fully shuts off Carrying pressure you don’t talk about Performing “fine” because you have to...

On smile, gesture or kind word can create a ripple effect.

Reader, I remember my boss of six years greeting me e.v.e.r.y. d.a.y. with… ☀️ Hello Sunshine! ☀️ Each day. In texts. At the top of an email. When she greeted me after a tough meeting with Martha. Here is why this is important. It wasn’t about being polite… it was neurological. Think about that smile someone gives you when you are checking out groceries or when you get your morning coffee. Our brains are wired to mirror emotion—so when you smile at someone or give them a warm hello, their...