For me, it‘s having come through the last year or two safely despite all the upheavals in my life, something I am deeply grateful for. I am feeling more mindful, more creative and clear about my intentions.
Amazingly, my colleague Jean and I recently finished the writing process. This hopefully final draft is about to go to our beta readers, which is so exciting. But realistically we will still have to incorporate some of the feedback amongst a list of other things before we can get it online.
There have been many twists and turns since writing the first draft. Who knew that most of the hard work happens after the initial writing!
Over to you now. Choose the time period you want to think about. What were your highlights?
2. What was your biggest challenge?
3. What’s the learning you can take forward?
The last few months have shown me how important being patient and kind to myself is for a positive mindset. I haven’t “hustled“ for a few years now, and never try to pack too much in. But occasionally things do pile up for reasons outside my control and I can easily lose my balance and sense of inner peace. I know I need to be mindful of that.
As far as my writing goes, it does actually help me to stay positive. Some people seem to think that blogging is dead. It is anything but, even if there has been a noticeable drop in engagement. I reckon social media’s pesky algorithms are part of the problem. Also, there is so much noise online now that readers get distracted and pulled into too many directions.
And yet, how many times have you found the answers to your questions in a blog post online? Or have looked for online recommendations before making a purchase? We do that because we like to feel reassured that the writer is trustworthy and able to help us. Whilst we can all claim to be that very person, discerning readers (and buyers) want more. They look for proof in your blog.
But I am digressing… back over to you!
What’s your learning from the last few months? (Remember you can think about blogging specifically but also about the big picture.) And how would you like to apply it the coming months?
4. What would you like more of?
In the past, things that typically sprung to mind for me were more visibility, more readers (or customers), more recognition, more content ideas, or more consistency.
But if, like me, you don’t find these things very motivating, you may want to dig deeper. This is when I realised that what I really wanted was more ease, more confidence or perhaps a stronger sense of ownership, more truth and authenticity or even more freedom.
It’s because my blog would typically reflect what’s going on elsewhere in my life or business. So as you ask yourself what you want more of for your blog, make sure you also look at the wider context.
What you want more of could also point to your guiding word or words (you can have more than one) that many of us set for a whole year. After you’ve created a “more” list, try to condense it to the essential words. What feels more important than anything else?
If you are reflecting about a shorter time period than a year, this gives you an opportunity to check if anything has changed, and if your words may have changed too.
Are you feeling creative? A great way to capture your word(s) and other ideas is in a collage or vision board.
You may find that your special words can help you to set an intention. This alone can be motivating enough for some, more so there is no need for a detailed plan.
But if you’re someone who likes to think through what you need to do to achieve your “more”, try to remember what mindsets or strategies helped you in the past. Or, alternatively, what tripped you up!
Have you ever written a “not-to-do list” for yourself? It can be a very helpful reminder of habits that sabotage our good intentions.