Written By Todd Lochner

We love the phrase "New Year, New You." It suggests that when the clock strikes midnight, a magical reset button is hit. We assume that the bad habits, the short temper, and the "quills" we carried in 2025 simply vanished with the old calendar.

But here is the reality check: The calendar changed, but you are still you. You woke up with the same history, the same parents, and the same tendencies you had 48 hours ago.

If you are serious about becoming a "Balloon Protector" this year—someone who uplifts others rather than deflating them—you have to stop believing the lie that time heals all wounds. Time just passes. Discipline is what changes things.

It’s time to talk about the baggage we didn’t pack but are forced to carry: The Quills We Inherit.

The "Picker" in the Mirror

I grew up as the baby of the family. My dad was never in the picture, so my mom was my universe. She was, without a doubt, the greatest person I’ve ever known. She raised three boys on a school teacher's salary with a rock-solid faith.

But she had a trait that I didn’t realize I was absorbing. My mom was a "picker." She could walk into a room and pinpoint a flaw in a plan quicker than anyone I knew. She was a problem-solver, but that also meant she rarely let things go unchallenged.

As a kid, I watched and learned. I didn’t know I was packing this baggage. But as I grew up and entered the workforce, that trait manifested in me. I became critical. I became the guy who could find the hole in any balloon. I convinced myself I was just being "helpful," but in reality, I was inheriting a quill that pushed people away.

We all have these traits. Maybe you inherited a short fuse from your father. Maybe you inherited anxiety or a "victim mindset" from your mother.

Does that make our parents bad people? No. It makes them human. But just because a behavior is "normal" in your family doesn’t make it right for your future.

The "It Runs in the Family" Trap

Personal accountability is in short supply these days. We live in a culture that loves to point fingers backward. We say things like:

• "I yell because I'm Italian/Irish/Southern."

• "I shut down emotionally because that’s how my dad was."

• "I'm cynical because my family is full of realists."

We wear our dysfunction like a family crest. We shrug off our most abrasive habits because "this trait runs in the family".

Let me be clear: That is a cop-out.

You couldn't hand-pick your traits when you were six years old. No kid is that self-aware. But you are not six anymore. You are an adult. And as an adult, you have the ability—and the responsibility—to choose which influences dominate your words and actions.

If you are still blaming your parents for the balloons you are popping in 2026, you aren’t healing. You’re just hiding.

Shedding vs. Shaping

So, how do we fix it? Do we pretend our past didn't happen? Do we cut off our families?

No. The goal isn't to erase where you came from.

I realized that I can't just "shed" the fact that I was raised to be critical. It’s part of my wiring. But I can choose to shape it. I can take that ability to spot problems and use it to protect my team from pitfalls, rather than using it to shoot down their ideas.

It is not about shedding your past; it is about shaping your future.

It requires you to look in the mirror and ask, "Am I on the path of most resistance?". Being critical, angry, or defensive is actually the hard road. It creates bad blood, resentment, and distance.

Your Challenge for the New Year

If you want a "New You" this year, stop looking for a magic switch and start looking at your patterns.

1. Identify the Quill: What is the one negative trait you know you get from your family history? (Anger, silence, criticism, worry).

2. Own It: Stop saying "It's because of my dad." Start saying, "This is a weakness I struggle with."

3. Shape It: How can you turn that energy into something that protects balloons?

You do the work of self-examination not to point the finger back at others, but to see a path toward improvement.

The past is a reference point, not a residence. You don't live there anymore. You live here, in the factory, surrounded by people who need you to be safe.

Let’s make this year count.