A Way to Wrap Up 2009

I’ve just had an idea, so figured I’d blog about it.  I’m always challenging myself to break out of the norm, find new ways to be with the world and myself.  This time of year is generally seen as a time of celebration and reflection, simultaneously.  The celebration, of course, is all about thanksgiving, sharing and joyful connection in most traditions.  And the reflection, at least for me, is about looking at this year that’s passed, taking stock, and then channeling those reflections into intentions and goals for the year ahead.  With this in mind, I conjured my new idea

Look back on the past 12 months and fill in the following blanks:

• I am _______________
• I’ve done _____________
• My favourite moment was ________________
• I laughed the most when _______________
• I know now that _________________
• I’m blessed because __________________
• I’m thankful for _____________________
• I’m surrounded by ______________________
• I discovered that _____________________
• I know I can do __________________

It occurs to me that a list such as this will allow me to take stock.  But what I really like about it is that once I’ve filled in the blanks for 2009, I can rewrite the list, pretend I’m looking back on 2010 once it’s passed, and fill in the blanks AGAIN.  In other words, with one simple activity, I can reflect and give thanks AND set my goals and intentions for the new year.  In the latter context, my blanks will be filled in based on the answers I have to this question:  “What do I want to be able to say come December 31, 2010?”

I don’t know, for me, it’s all about fun, new, fresh and intriguing. These questions seem to capture some of these qualities for me.  I believe they’ll work for you too.

Time to Tweak Time (????)

So, was reminded today that it’s been a while since I posted a blog entry.  Thanks for the gentle nudge, Kimberly!

Yes, things have had me a little scattered lately.  Indeed, I’ve had a few wake-up calls to the fact that I’m definitely being pulled in several directions, and that my focus is hardly 100% here-and-now.  No worries — and it’s a good lesson in awareness for me.

One of the things we do in our household, before we each depart for whatever it is that the day holds for us, is set a goal/intention.  How do we want our day to be?  What do want to accomplish?  It can be big, little, in-between — but we all do it, even the kidlets.  It’s a great way to “point ourselves” so-to-speak.  And today, my intention is to “tweak time”, or more specifically how I interact with it, how I use it (or don’t), and how I dance with what shows up vs. what’s already on my “to-do” list.

I’m aware that part of what’s going on for me is a sense of wanting to do a LOT of things.  My podcast is just about ready to go live (March 18th is the scheduled launch); my co-author and I have just committed to launch in the writing of the 2nd book in our series (gulp! and yeah! all at once); my children have dance competitions and hockey tournaments; I’m aiming to run a marathon next year, which means starting to train now; every day I wake up with a new business project idea; and then there’s just the everyday workings of a professional woman in today’s society.  In other words, I’m juggling all the same stuff my clients juggle (which is good — it allows me to walk my talk).

And so, it’s time for me to revisit my “ideal week” — check out how I’m actually spending my time, and tweak what isn’t working.  Remembering that nothing is written in stone, it’s time for me to re-carve my schedule, play with new ways of playing, and have some fun.  In other words, it’s time to lighten up — unburden myself of some of the load and have some fun.  Join me on the ride?  It should be a fun one!