Reflect and realign with just 5 empowering questions
It is winter here in the UK, the season that invites a slower pace and time for contemplation. Perhaps even some candlelight and a warm blanket on your knees.
Imagine gaining all the insights you need to help you make the right changes. And an easy way to find your special guiding word for the year.
I’m told this way of reviewing progress feels both motivating and empowering, and doesn’t take much time either. It could be helpful for the end of the year or whenever you feel confused and desperate for clarity about your next steps.
Would you like to try it?
Think about how you’d like to capture your answers. You could try rational or intuitive thinking, or even creative exploration.
Please have your favourite pens or colouring pencils ready, as well as a notebook, journal, or large piece of paper. Alternatively, you could open a Mindmap App or a simple note page on any digital device.
Next, consider the timeframe you want to review first. The last 3, 6 or 12 months? It’s up to you. This little contemplation can be done whenever you want to make sure you learn from the recent past and find the best path forward.
1. What were the highlights?
- Choose the time period and aspects of your life/ work (including your writing) that you want to reflect on
- What were the highlights?
- What else are you grateful for?
2. What was your biggest challenge?
For me personally, the last 6 months have felt hard due to some family illness and a bereavement. I live with chronic illness too, so you could say that I am used to uncertainty. But I do have fears and worries like everyone else. I don’t like to pretend otherwise.
What do you need to be most aware of?
It’s your turn now:
- What’s your learning from the last 3, 6, or 12 months? (Remember, you can think about wrting here or take a holistic look at your work/life)
- Once you know it, please consider what would help you to be mindful of it in the coming months.
4. What would you like more of?
- Brainstorm what you’d like to have more of. Scribble everything down without overthinking it
- Consider, for each item, what “more” means to you
- How will you feel when you achieve that?
What you want more of could point to your guiding word or words (some people like to have more than one) that many of us set for a whole year. But you can choose one for any period, even just a few months.
- Please review your “more” list. Can you see a pattern amongst your words?
- What feels more important than anything else? Try to condense it down to the essential.
Essentially, your special word or words will become your intention. This may be inspiring enough to manifest the outcome. But some people like to speak it out loud to release it. But you could also write about in your journal or create a single image, a collage or a vision board to act as a powerful reminder.
5. What would you like less of?
Your answers to this question are not only good for self-awareness, they will entice the right action to make space for positive change.
Let’s say you’d love to experience less stress or worry about your present situation or the future. Or less inefficiency and wasting of time and other resources. It’s highly likely you will choose something that could get in the way of your “more”.
So what is it to be?
