The year seems to be flying by, we’ve passed the summer solstice and we’re now halfway through the year. At this powerful junction I recommend you take some time now to slow your body and mind and listen to your heart. Use the guide below to help you reflect on all you have done and envision what you would to happen in the next half of the year.
Personally I am taking a step back in July and August work wise, I will still have space for clients, courses and other work commitments but I am also taking more space to enjoy a summer of long evenings, sunshine (I hope) and overdue reunions. Looking at the next six months and what I want my life and business to look and feel like made me me realise how much I need a lighter schedule for the next two months. This is the beauty of taking the time to reflect and set intentions, instead of remaining in the constant cycle of doing (and burning out) you take a step back and reaffirm your boundaries. What is working and what isn’t? Where do you need more space?
Review and Reflect
Firstly I recommend taking a quick look back. Take some time to take stock about what has happened, acknowledge and honour it. This is an opportunity to recognise how much has already happened this year/ month/ in your life/ in your business – the good, the bad and the ugly.
So often we are too caught up in moving straight onto the next thing on our never-ending list, the next achievement/goal or simply on surviving during a hard time. We don’t take the time or space to honour all we have done, learnt, felt, experienced or achieved.
I invite you now to look back and honour all that has happened. Write this down with words, phrases, paragraphs, whatever feels true for you.
Looking Back over the past 6 months
I recommend breaking it down month by month but if you prefer to work in a non-linear manner then by all means go ahead.
Looking at it either month by month or as the whole 6 months in your business, life or both
- Reflect on your achievements. Big and small. Write a list of everything you are proud of yourself for accomplishing. For example completing a course, hosting your first workshop, saying no to a draining client, showing up with your first video/reel/live on instagram etc
- What needs to be reviewed? What things didn’t make the list or maybe they did but you now feel you’ve been there, done that and can leave it behind. What tasks/areas of your business/life do you have ‘no energy’ for. What is so draining about them? Can you make them less draining? What would happen if you were to stop doing these completely? Or can you ask for support or find a way to support yourself?
- What can you release and declutter from your business? What in your business is no longer aligned with you? What are you still doing that you wish you weren’t? Maybe there is an offering/package/product/client/ supplier that no longer fits your needs or it could be more emotional like pressure you put on yourself to show up constantly on social media.
- What remains unfinished? It could be as simple as outstanding invoicing, accounting to more complex completions. What needs to be completed? In order to bring in new energy and be prepared we need to be ready and that includes finishing outstanding processes or tasks.
- How can you honour and celebrate all you have achieved in the past 6 months? I know when I wrote down my list I had achieved more than I first thought. Practicing gratitude and honouring is one way to strengthen our own trust, self-belief and grow our confidence in our abilities and take ownership of our skills and strengths. It is also invaluable for maintaining motivation and our capacity to move forward with greater ease. Is there something you can do to reward and acknowledge yourself for all you have done in the past 6 months?
Moving forward
- Listening to your inner desires, if you truly trusted yourself what could your life look like by the end of the year? Think big here, feel into the goal with your heart and try and peel it away to your inner desire. For example : your goal might be to hit a certain sales target but your inner desire is to have greater self worth, would higher sales really increase your self worth or once you hit that target, would you immediately set the next goal you need to achieve to be worthy. You can now focus on steps to increasing your self worth versus steps to hitting a sales target. Another example: maybe your goal is to hit a certain sales target but the inner desire it is linked to is around feeling safe and for you that includes financial security as in the past maybe you have struggled to make ends meet. What other steps can you take to increase your financial security?
- How do you want to feel by the end of the year/month? What will you have achieved in order to feel this way? What do you feel the most naturally energised and excited by? Can you make space for more of this? Think of your future self. Do you have anything specific you want to cover in terms of goals and vision for next year? Anything at all, it can be related to business/ personal/ love/ friendship, anything you want to feel into for the next 6 months. Being intentional about our direction and clear about our next steps helps us stay grounded, each step forward, regardless of how small, is another step towards our vision. This is another reminder and opportunity for you to remember your business vision. If you have not spent much time on it , now is a good time to set sights on what you wish to accomplish for the remainder of 2022 and beyond.
- For me this year I decided to anchor into setting a few focus words for the year ahead, this can also be done for specific areas in your life or business. For 2022 I am calling in – Trust, Healing and Simplicity. If you haven’t already then I would recommend setting some. Think of how you want to feel, be and what you want to be doing. Pick one or more focus words. Take your time, feel into them and make sure they resonate with you. Once you have chosen what you would like to call in, now maybe ask yourself what simple ways can you invite them in i.e. giving space and acknowledging what is already here of any of these and creating new ways of increasing it.
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