The Confetti
A surprising detail from New Year’s Eve and a question I’m carrying into 2026.
Have you ever considered how the confetti arrives?
Every year, nearly one million people gather in Times Square to mark the arrival of a new year. More than one billion people around the world witness this moment.
Here is something I learned this year. When the clock strikes midnight, the confetti filling the sky is tossed by human hands. People stand on rooftops and balconies above Times Square, gathering handfuls of paper and releasing them into the crowd celebrating below.
Confetti being tossed off the top of the buildings on New Year’s Eve in Times Square!
I know this because this year, a friend of mine was one of those people.
Truthfully, this surprised me. I had never really thought about it before. I assumed there were giant machines blasting confetti into the air, something dramatic and mechanical, like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Instead, there are people called Confetti Dispersal Engineers whose job is to toss the confetti by hand.
Seeing a familiar moment differently has a way of opening new possibilities.
Dianna Glandon getting ready to spread joy.
Because I know Dianna, I was invited into a small and joyful moment that most people never see. She offered to write a goal or wish I have for 2026 on a piece of confetti and release it into the air as the year turned.
When she later shared what inspired her to join the festivities, I learned that many of the people who toss the confetti have hoped to be part of this moment for years. For her, it was about spreading joy and hope. She waited patiently for the chance, staying connected to what inspired her all along.
It made me wonder how often what we want asks us first to be devoted, generous, and willing to hold a vision over time.
For someone who can be wordy like me, writing a simple wish or intention on a two by two piece of paper became a chance to slow down and distill what I hope to manifest in 2026 into one or two words.
There was something grounding about that distillation. A clear naming of what matters to me, followed by a willingness to release it into the world.
Who we are being matters.
Imagine you are invited to write a wish, hope, goal, or dream on a small piece of confetti. Take a moment and notice what you would write.
Then ask yourself this:
Who do I need to be to live it?
This question opens a deeper inquiry. It invites attention toward what no longer needs your focus and toward the qualities you are ready to live from.
I find it helpful to return to this question before conversations, decisions, or moments that matter.
As this year unfolds, let it guide how you choose, respond, and lead. This is how a wish begins to take shape in the world.
With warmth and presence,
Nicole
PS
If you want support clarifying who you are choosing to be as a leader in 2026, this is at the heart of my work. One conversation can be enough to begin. Take the first step and reach out to me here now so I can help you become the leader you want to be.
