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Please Don’t Kick My Ladder: A Question I’m Carrying Into This Year
Dated: February 4 2026
Views: 13
This week I heard a speaker named Andrea Boyd, author of the book Please Don’t Kick My Ladder, and her message has stayed with me in a way I didn’t expect.
The core idea of the book is simple but powerful: as we climb in our careers and in life, we are often standing on ladders built by others—mentors, teachers, colleagues, family members, even strangers who gave us a chance. The problem is that sometimes, once we’ve climbed higher, we forget about those ladders… or worse, we kick them away behind us.
Andrea talks about how ladder-kicking doesn’t always come from bad intentions. Sometimes it’s subtle. We get busy. We move on. We stop returning calls. We forget what it felt like to need encouragement, access, or simply someone to believe in us.
As I listened, two questions kept swirling in my mind.
The first was uncomfortable:
I wonder whose ladders I’ve kicked along the way?
Even unintentionally. Even without realizing it at the time.
And the truth is, I can’t go back and rewrite every moment. I can’t fix everything I may have missed or mishandled. All I can do is be honest about it—and learn from it.
The second question felt more hopeful:
Whose ladder can I support this year?
That one landed deeply.
It shifted my focus away from regret and toward responsibility. Toward awareness. Toward paying attention to the people around me who are climbing, struggling, learning, or simply trying to find their footing.
Maybe it’s a new agent trying to break into the business.
Maybe it’s a young person looking for confidence.
Maybe it’s someone standing at a crossroads, unsure whether they’re ready for their next chapter.
Maybe it’s someone in my community who just needs to be seen and encouraged.
I don’t think supporting someone’s ladder always means doing something big or heroic. Sometimes it’s as simple as:
Making an introduction
Sharing what I’ve learned
Offering encouragement instead of criticism
Opening a door instead of guarding it
This book reminded me that success isn’t just about how far I climb. It’s about what happens to the ladder once I’ve climbed it.
So this year, I’m paying closer attention.
Not to the ladders I might have kicked in the past—but to the ones I can help steady now.
And that feels like a much better place to stand.
Debbie Donaldson
Debbie Donaldson is a full-time REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, helping buyers, sellers, landowners, and investors move forward with confidence throughout McDonou....
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