Are you up for an honest review?
I find it useful to emphasise the word honest when I’m asking myself this question, which can help me avoid being in denial which I’ve definitely done in the past.
Rather than seeing a review as being a way to effectively beat myself up, I’m learning to embrace it as an opportunity to really learn and grow.
After all, we’re either green and growing or we’re ripe and rotting.
And what happened in the past is now history, it’s over – it’s goneski!
I’ve realised for me that all that matters from here is who I am choosing to be today? I’m not talking about necessarily notching
up lots of successes as could be perceived by others. It’s more about what am I up to in the world in this moment?
It’s worth checking out this reference 1 which is a really useful process for this concept – nothing to lose by having a read!
We’ll be covering this one in more depth in this week’s #AlivewithFi.
In the meantime, here are a couple of pointers that I find useful for focusing on what’s important.
First up is K*I*S* S – keep it super simple. This one helps me remember when I’m making things more complex than they need to be.
Another is to invest a little time checking our rear view mirror – namely reflecting back on what we’ve already done. There’s so much we can pick up from what’s happened in the past and the way we handled/didn’t handle it. A useful tip from the reference article 1 is to create a simple visual map which shows our ups and downs tracked against time.
And when we combine reflection with a forward-focused gaze, we can ask ourselves valuable questions that might include what worked, what would I repeat/do differently next time, what did I enjoy the most/the least, what were the set of circumstances in which I felt my best/received compliments, when were the low points, which things would I adjust next time? etc.
And one of my favs, if I could experience anything this year what would it be? In the past I’ve wanted to avoid describing my ideal scenario in detail and then setting appropriate goals – perhaps because some of my goals have been unrealistic?
To help with our success-rate in setting goals, a useful guide can be to go for SMART goals. Namely Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Realistic and Time-bound. These may be annual, quarterly and monthly targets.
Another handy approach for me is to simply focus on that 1% improvement-shift on a weekly basis for example – then this gives me 52 chances in a year to improve – which then of course compound on one another.
Even if it’s 1% improvement each month, that growth still adds up over time.
Finally it’s worth considering our inner circle – those who are on a similar path. Perhaps they may be those who are growth-focused generally or in a specific area. And if you’d like to expand that group of people with whom you connect, share and are able to support one another, it’s worth asking ourselves who would I like to have in my inner circle. What is it that I can do to reach out and connect with those people to add value in their lives?
As usual, I’m curious to hear your thoughts, and am looking forward to seeing you on this week’s #AlivewithFi – ciao for now 🙂
Worth a read!
¹https://todoist.com/inspiration/annual-review
Fi Jamieson-Folland D.O., I.N.H.C., is The LifeStyle Aligner. She’s an experienced practitioner since 1992 in Europe, Asia and New Zealand as a qualified Osteopath, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, speaker, educator, writer, certified raw vegan gluten-free chef, and Health Brand Ambassador.
