Monday Message 1 7 19 Reflect

Reflect: verb To think deeply or carefully about.

What can you do today that you were not capable of 12 months ago?

Well now…that’s a potent question! How often do we take the time to reflect on how far we’ve come?

A new year prompts all sorts of opportunities for goal setting, fresh starts, and self-improvement. By and large, most people want to be better; to do better. The beginning of the year seems like an excellent time to initiate changes that will lead to something better than our current state seems to be.

New Year’s Resolutions are set with the very best intentions. Do any of you have resolutions in mind? Many have abandoned setting resolutions in favor of choosing a word for the year, which becomes their theme or guiding principle for the next 365 days. Are you a word-chooser? Others have different ways of setting the stage for making positive change. Do you have a personal practice to share?

Often, in our rush to make all the upgrades we forget to reflect on what we’ve already accomplished. Sure, there’s always room for improvement. Growth is critical. And growth that is driven by consciously setting goals is powerful. But acknowledging the growth we’ve already accomplished is an incredibly empowering way to focus on our strength: our abilities, our power – our fierceness. Before setting goals to strive for, consider taking some time to reflect on your accomplishments.

Where were you 12 months ago? What seemed impossible? What seemed possible? How have you grown? What areas of achievement can you celebrate? Make a list of your milestones, and make sure you include the ones that seem small, because every bit of progress is important.

And now that you know where you’ve been, use that fierce pride of accomplishment to drive your goals for this year. You can approach those goals with confidence, because you know what you’re capable of.

Please share your accomplishments if you feel so inclined. Your victories encourage us all, and we would love to celebrate with you!

∞

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”
Hal Borland

“Sometimes you have to look back in order to understand the things that lie ahead.”
Yvonne Woon

“Self-reflection is a humbling process. It’s essential to find out why you think, say, and do certain things…then better yourself.”
Sonya Teclai

“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”
Buddha

“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”
John Dewey

“The more reflective you are, the more effective you are.”
Hall and Simeral

“The journey into self-love and self-acceptance must begin with self-examination. Until you take the journey of self-reflection, it is almost impossible to grow or learn in life.”
Iyanla Vanzant