So, we’re a little over half way through 2014. How’s it going for you? Has it been a great year? Action packed, huh?
We tend to start the year with such great intentions (or resolutions, as some might call them) and then don’t realize as the year goes on how things tend to fade and remain unchanged. I loved this idea from a fellow Duke alum on committing to 12 monthly resolutions.
But still, now is a great time to do a mid-year reassess – and for those of you with kids, it’s a wonderful time to have them do the same. Some reflection questions to start with:
- What went really well during the first six months of the year?
- How would you like to focus your time over the next six months of the year?
- If we were to get to the end of 2014, and the year was a remarkable success, how would that look like to you?
I use these questions (or some version of them) when I speak with individuals as a way of gauging where they are coming from and where they would like to go. These questions are especially helpful when working with young people who may need a bit of encouragement to reflect and assess. Success isn’t just about accomplishing things – though having goals can certainly be motivating and inspiring. In reality, though, success is more about a feeling – do you want to feel more refreshed? More organized? What do you want to do to get there?
For me, these first six months of 2014 have been full and action-packed – and there’s a lot to be grateful for. I found a Pilates studio I really like. I finished re-doing this website. My piece on my mom was in the NYTimes Motherlode column. My Father’s Day piece was featured as in the San Francisco Chronicle. We have a lovely new office manager at our Green Ivy office. Both my parents got remarried (in six months! Can you believe it!). I reorganized and minimalized with the help of the lovely ladies from New Minimalism. I had speaking engagements in New York, Washington D.C., California, New Jersey, and North Carolina, and am working on finishing up a book on girls and technology. And, as there are always are, there were some sad and tough things too, including a dear friend’s diagnosis and death from cancer, also within six months.
So, what are my next six months to bring? I think there are three key words: movement, wellness, and writing. I’ve want to get back to moving more, and focusing on yoga everyday. Yoga and meditation basically are my answers for pretty much everything. As I am days away from finishing the draft of a book that I am excited about – especially after a few conversations over the past few days that reminded me how needed the book is for so many.
We each have the things we are working on and want to shift our energy towards. What are yours?
