Be reflective
Updated: Feb 22
Reflection - looking at different areas of one's life
As I am writing this, I’m thinking about all the things I have done but also all the things I could have done (and achieved) in the first three months of 2020. The following is my take on 2020 so far.
Like many of you, I too have drawn up a New Year’s resolution, to better myself. This is a journey I began two years ago, and since then, I have been revisiting that resolution in my head and continuously amending it because nothing is permanent and everything we do is open to growth and change.
Even though the last three months have been filled with extenuating circumstances, difficulties and challenges, they've taught me a lot. 2019 was also a year conducive to transformation, growth and personal development. Although many of us will dwell on the past, and we often do… to the detriment of our own well-being, looking at the past is rarely a good thing, unless we focus on the lessons we've learnt.
We are all guilty of putting ourselves in this self-deprecating position and the only way forward is by taking the good and positive aspects of our life and using them to guide us. Having said this, don’t put aside past memories or mistakes. Instead, use them as lessons in life and judgment.
The first three months of this year have been tumultuous, but let us hope for the best. Unexpected surprises may pop up, new friendships will be made, old friendships may come to an end, and some relationships will wane while others will strengthen. Through social distancing, working from home and self-isolating, our need for drama will decrease as we spend more and more time with ourselves. Introspection is key. For those of you who wanted to start the year with a new mindset and to better yourself in terms of fitness, health, life, education or work, use the next weeks to sit down and think. Yes, sit down and think because you don’t know when another opportunity like this will present itself.
Reflect on your life, your habits and your personal relationships. Out with the old and in with the new. As you spend more time alone, you will realize the beauty in being able to create time for yourself and to use it effectively. It won’t be easy, but if you do it one day at a time, one step at a time and one task at a time, you’ll set yourself a new example. Reassess your beliefs, principles and emotions. Reach out to people you haven’t in a while and check up on their well-being during this hard time. A simple text or call to say “Hello, I’ve missed you, how are you?” is all it takes.
To all those reading this, may the rest of your year be filled with health, positivity and connection, because after all, these are the only things that matter in life.
K