READY, SET, SPRING 🌱

READY, SET, SPRING 🌱 

March 25, 2026 • Issue No. 33

If you joined the Sparkle Gang before December ‘25, then you know we take the change of seasons very seriously around here! If you’ve been here since the very start: congrats, we’ve come full circle! If you’re just joining us, grab a pair of overalls and let me get you up to speed.

A Full Year of Goal-Farming 🧑🏾‍🌾 💎

At the Spring Equinox 🧑🏾‍🌾 🌱, we set goals for incremental growth. Like watering a newly planted seed, the intention here is consistency.

At the Summer Solstice 🧑🏾‍🌾 ☀️, we set goals that prioritize our own enthusiasm. Like the sun that shines all season, the intention here is to radiate joy.

At the Autumnal Equinox 

 🍁, we set goals that bring closure. Like the close of the harvest season before the frost, the intention is clear minds (and clear to-do lists).

At the Winter Solstice 🧑🏾‍🌾 ❄️, we set goals that center optimism. Like the sun gives us a few more minutes each day, the intention is to look forward to new beginnings.

Splitting the year into time-bound chunks I can actually wrap my mind around (each of these seasons is 13 weeks long) has helped me to feel like I’m making progress as the year marches on, instead of feeling like the time is slipping by. Based on the feedback I’ve gotten from you all 💕, it’s been a helpful approach.

Hone in on a growth area that would benefit from consistency. This could be related to your career, relationships, personal growth, mental health, physical fitness, organization, art practice, friendships, finances, nutrition…it could be anything!

The goal is not the end result (get a new job), the goal is the consistent effort (apply to 3 jobs every week).

The goal is not the end result (fit into my old jeans), the goal is the consistent effort (walk to the other side of the building during lunch).

The goal is not the end result (feel happier), the goal is the consistent effort (call my besties every day).

Choose something to work toward. Commit to an action you will take with consistency. Determine the frequency. And then there’s only one thing left to do: start farming.

I’m including the original 2025 Spring Equinox issue at the bottom — not only because it explains the rationale of seasonal timing, but because it represents my own commitment to consistency. The Sparkle Sheet celebrated 1 year in December. It didn’t feel like much when I started, but it’s shocking to look back and see how far we’ve come. In the words of adrienne maree brown, “What you pay attention to grows.”

Happy Spring (and happy farming!), Sparkle Gang! 💎 🧑🏾‍🌾

From the Sparkle Sheet Archive

A NEW DAY, A NEW DAWN, A NEW SEASON

March 19, 2025 • Issue No. 7

Good morning, beloveds!

I’m writing to you in a new season: spring! Today is the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox. After months of long nights and short days, today marks the moment when daytime and nighttime are in perfect balance. There’s only one other day like this each year (the Autumnal Equinox). In no time, we’ll be living our lives outside: beach days, summer picnics, and laughter by starlight. And, if we make a few preparations, we can boost our happiness when the sun is in full swing.  Let’s think of this moment as both a festive day and an opening bell. First, I’ll tell you why and then I’ll tell you how.

WHY?

Is it just me or does it seem like time gets faster as we get older? I felt like I was in second grade forever, but my senior year of college went by in a blink. And then it just never slowed down. Occasionally —usually in conversation at a cocktail party — someone would ask me a question that prompted me to mark time instead of just experiencing it. When did you graduate college? How long have you lived in New York? How long have you been with the company? How long ago did you meet your partner? I wasn’t just taken aback, I felt like I had been shoved by Superman. Time was passing faster than I’d been paying attention and it wasn’t giving me enough time to catch up. Tick, tick, tick. 

Somewhere along the way I decided that a year was just too unwieldy. At the start, the year felt long, like there would be more than enough time to actualize all the things on my vision board. But then December would roll around and I couldn’t make sense of where the time even went. One year, I decided I’d read 10 books (less than one book per month) and by November, I’d only read 3. I tried to close the gap in the final month but this turned my goal of leisure reading into a mandate, driven by shame and perfectionism. It was terrible!

Then I made a shift. 

Quarters. The Q1, Q2 financial calendar didn’t prompt much enthusiasm for me, but the idea of seasons did. I started living on a seasonal quarter system. Now, I didn’t invent this idea — there’s a really popular book called the 12 Week Year that proposes something similar. I haven’t read it so I can’t give you the nitty gritty but the author and I share a key idea: break down large chunks of time into something manageable, something you can see the end of. 

HOW?

If you’ve never tried this before, this is perfect time to start. Spring is peak season to get your seeds planted so that they can soak up that almost-summer sunlight and ripen into the fruits of your labor by harvest time in the fall. Hop into your overalls, grab a rake, and slather on some SPF. It’s time to farm some goals.

We’ve got 13 weeks until the Summer Solstice on June 20th, which marks the first day of summer. That day, we’ll enjoy the longest stretch of daylight that we get all year. Every day between now and then, the day will get a little longer, the sun will stay up a little later. We won’t even notice because it’s just a few minutes each day. As our days stretch in increments, you can, too. 

Writer adrienne maree brown says, “What you pay attention to grows.” Soooooooo… what do you want to grow this season? You could literally grow a small plant on your desk if that would bring you joy. You could finish that proposal or pitch you’ve had on the back burner. You could start taking walks on your lunch break. You could take 15 minutes between meetings to send a fun TikTok to a different friend every day. It could be anything; it could mean everything. 

Use the momentum of this equinox to stretch, to make incremental growth, to blossom, to sparkle. 💎 Don’t worry, I’m putting on my overalls, too, and I promise to check back with you in the summer.   

Happy Farming, Sparkle Gang! 💎 🧑🏾‍🌾

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