I’ve always been drawn to water, especially the ocean.  I find the reflections and refractions mesmerizing. I also find them illuminating.  A solitary walk along the ocean or just standing in the water and feeling the waves lapping against my legs helps me find a clarity that the hustle and bustle of a normal day can obscure.  I know that I need a few of those ocean front days a year just to keep myself on track.  

There are times of the year that also invite that same sort of introspection and if the end of last year doesn’t call us to be a little more thoughtful, I’m not sure what would.  Let me give you a few questions to get you started, if you have been too busy to start down this path on your own.

Reflections:

  • What was the biggest goal you had for 2021 and how did that turn out?  Did it matter in the end?
  • What did you have to remind yourself more than once in 2021 and how can you avoid that same pattern in 2020?
  • What’s the most painful thing that could happen in 2022 and how do you protect yourself from it now?
  • Who came to your rescue in 2021 and helped in some way — profound or not?
  • What are you most proud of, when you look back on the last year?
  • What is your biggest regret of 2021? How do you avoid it in 2022?

Refractions:

  • Who surprised you this past year and what does it mean for the coming year?
  • What worry never came to pass or turned out differently than you expected in 2021? What’s the lesson there?
  • What did you pursue in 2021 that didn’t amount to much?  Is it time to walk away or double down?
  • Where did you waste your time this past year and how do you eliminate that distraction going forward?
  • What important goal keeps eluding you.  Be honest with yourself — why?
  • How would you like to show up differently than the world saw you in 2021?

Put those in your pipe and smoke them, as my Dad used to say.  I hope you can carve out the time to give them some thought or come up with your own reflections and refractions.  Tis the season for being mesmerized and finding illumination, eh?

 

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