Posted on February 20 2022
To reflect towards the end of February may seem a little odd. It’s something usually done on the bleary days between Christmas and New Year. We hold off, and hold off, until the last moment to take an unsteady breath and think back on our year. How about taking pit stops or micro-reflections throughout the year to check in with yourself as well as your goals? How you feel in yourself informs how you feel about your achievements or disappointments. Be they personal, professional or wellbeing goals, keeping accountable to yourself regularly is going to add up into so much growth for you. And, as my Grandma likes to remind me, ‘the time will pass anyway, might as well give it all you have’.
Take 15 minutes now to look back on the year so far, and emerge feeling rejuvenated, proud of yourself, and ready to take on the rest of 2022.
First of all, reflect and acknowledge. We are only weeks into the year, but for many it’s been a whirlwind time for lots of reasons. Acknowledging the challenges you’ve faced, and the pandemic we have all had to contend with, is your first step in giving yourself grace. When you credit your efforts and frame them with the love you give freely to your family and friends, the temptation to berate yourself will dissolve into the background.
Can you list anything that has been a challenge so far?
Second of all, sheer relief you’ve made it this far. It’s easy to get totally swept away and caught up in the next, next, next. There is a relief in getting to the top of the mountain, or stopping point along the way and just knowing that whatever comes next, is the next chapter of the life you are living right now, not a brand new life, but a continuation of the efforts you put in here and now. There is relief for having a pit-stop in which you rest, recharge and refocus.
Where is your pit stop? Are you there now?
Lastly, what can be learned from acknowledging and taking that pit stop? You have the power to reflect whenever you want to, don’t save it all until the 11th hour and then pile on so much regret for the life you haven’t lived up to. Can you be kinder to yourself, adjust your goals, or re-prioritise certain elements of your day to achieve the outcomes you want to?
You absolutely can.
Tortoise and the hare, anyone?
