Quiet. It’s not something we do too often, but something our souls need. When we do quiet ourselves (very different from quieting the little bodies in our lives), we don’t seem to stay there too long. If we find quiet, it can quickly escape us. Sometimes it is actual noise that distracts us – the people, the phone notifications, the music, the news. Other times it is noise in our heads that keep us stuck – the anxiety, the spoken and unspoken expectations of the world (or Pinterest!), the “what-ifs.” It is definitely in those moments of quiet, I am able to best reflect and review.
Reflections of Hope
re·flect | rəˈflekt/ | verb | think deeply or carefully about
It is not always easy to look back and reflect on what has happened in our lives. I know there are moments I do not want to re-live, as a person, a wife, a mom…you name it! I’m no psychologist so don’t take my word for it, but I’m pretty certain there are some moments we can’t ignore and try to shove away. We need to reflect and ask ourselves what happened in order to move forward. I’m excited to work through next week’s focus of Moving Forward because what’s ahead is usually a new day, a fresh start, a blank slate with possibilities, but when I have had the chance to reflect, it has helped me more in my journey and get out of being “stuck” in the same cynical cycle.
So much goodness, provided in our every day. He offers. We accept. And so goes the dance of a new day, a new year, a new start. Of fresh mercy, of guiltless dreams, of the good God of both. – Anna Rendell
Hope-Filled Review
re·view | rəˈvyo͞o/ | verb | examine or assess (something) formally with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary
I haven’t been in an official workplace setting in a long time, so the exact feelings are a bit fuzzy, but I do remember slight anxiousness during annual review time. I wasn’t one of those people who had my goals posted. I didn’t review them, but if my memory serves me right, I was usually on target for most areas. I also remember how, as the annual review time approached, people would get frantic about reaching their on-target goals because they had ignored their review from last year or never paid attention to what they were supposed to be doing. If you’re one of those people, I still love you. Since we’re all a work-in-progress around here, let’s work on this together. I want us to go into our reviewing the past year with hope because we have learned something from the challenges as well as the celebrations.
I had initially planned on creating a one-page worksheet, but as I started making it, I thought about what would be helpful for me, and all of a sudden, I had an entire planner for our Reflect + Review sessions. Sign up to get yours today and let me know how it goes!
(Note: When I upload the planner, it looks fine, but when I download from the email, there are some extra lines. I just wanted to let everyone know that I know they are there. If anyone know how to fix it, help a mother out. Thanks!)