🎂Another Year, Fewer Giveaways 🎉 Growing Older, Giving Smarter

Hello, Cadre world. It is Dr. Jessica Green, and today is a wonderful Wednesday. Not only because it is Wednesday, but it is because I am celebrating a birthday. I am celebrating another year. I am celebrating another trip around the sun. And when we think about this year and we think about 2026, you know, this year feels a little different. And as people are coming in, it's feeling different, you know, not because it's louder, you know, not because it's dramatic or not even because it's heavy. But I tell you what, for me, this trip around the sun, you know, getting older and wiser, it just allows me to be even more clear.

Because, you know, if I think back, there was a time when we thought about getting older. We're like, oh, my gosh, we're getting older. And sometimes the older you get, you feel like there's something that you have proof. You know, you feel like there's something that you have to achieve. You feel like I have to do more. I have to show up more. I need to say, yes, more. But something that I'm going to focus on, and I also want you to focus on for this year is allowing yourself to be in the moment.

You know, sometimes we feel like subtraction. You know, we feel like we have fewer giveaways, but remembering that we are growing older, but we are also living smarter. And something that I learned is that maturity is not about hardening your heart. It's about strengthening your boundaries. And it's realizing that you can care deeply without always having to carry the load. Because some of us carry everything and carry that load. And, you know, we pour into our cups, but then we forget that there's a hole in the bottom.

So everything that we're pouring into our cups, we lose, you know, because we're not setting those boundaries. And it's realizing that you can care deeply again without caring everything and being able to stay connected without overextending. You can give generously to organizations, to others, without giving yourself away. And what does that look like? You know, how long does it take? Well, it takes that routine. It takes that consistency, but it also takes you taking ownership. Because many of us, you know, especially those who are natural helpers or natural leaders and caregivers, you know, that giving sometimes become your identity.

So being dependable becomes your personality. So showing up becomes then that expectation of others. But somewhere along the way, you know, we had to ask ourselves, am I giving from overflow or am I giving from depletion? And I tell you, there is a difference. We think about overflow. Overflow feels light. And then when we think about depletion, it feels resentful. And then sometimes we have that inappropriate guilt. And overflow feels it's aligned with that purpose and our passion. But then when we think about depletion, it feels as if I'm obligated to do this even when you may not want to.

And as we grow older, as we continue to celebrate birthdays every year, for me, it has taught me that not every request deserves access. So I'm going to say that again. Not every request deserves access, not every opportunity deserves all of our energy, not every relationship, whether it's friends, whether it's your partner, deserves that unlimited availability. Where we have to set those boundaries. Again, they do not. People, places and things do not deserve unlimited availability. So when we think about 2026, as we all celebrate our birthdays, if we have not done it already, it's fast approaching.

So this year it is not about withdrawing, it's about refining who you are. You know, I still care deeply for people. And we have that love, we have that excitement. You know, we're those caregivers. We have that compassion and that empathy. But we also have to remember to make sure we are intentional about where that care lands. So something that I've learned is that staying connected does not mean we're entangled. It doesn't mean over explaining. It doesn't mean shrinking ourselves to make someone else comfortable.

Connection should be healthy. And it's healthy whenever it is mutual between those parties involved. When it allows you to breathe, when it respects the space between two or more individuals. And also when we think of that generosity without no longer abandoning me to feel worthy, we're not. Yes, I am still not about becoming less loving. It's about becoming more discerning. It's about but an extra special happy birthday and you want to celebrate the best version of yourself.