I am in complete shock.
We are halfway through 2022. It feels like just yesterday that I was writing down my new year’s resolutions.
Time has slipped away.
Where is my reset button?
I know a remote control for my TV doesn’t have a “reset” button, but come on, where can I find the pause button at least? Can I go back and live that week over again? Can I skip this part? I seem to have lost the remote control to my life.
I’m just kidding. Well, half kidding. While I have accomplished many great things so far this year, the fact that time moves more quickly the older I get is a real problem. I realize that there are moments when I spend my time in ways that are not as intentional as I would like them to be. At the beginning of the year when asked what my goal was for 2022, I reflected on the many years I had applied strategy, planning and design to the leadership teams and organizations I served. All of my work came together to achieve the organization's intentional objectives; and honestly, I was good at it. So, for 2022, my goal was to use the same approach to strategy, planning and design to create the kind of life I wanted both for myself and for my family.
But it’s June already! How is it already time for a mid-year moment of reflection? Even while I am pleased with what I have managed to create for the year, I want to be as intentional with the way I am working for myself as I have done in the past for my previous employers.
Now is the moment to stop.
I need to stop and create the space to do three very important things: reflect, refocus, and reset. Setting intentions and creating the life that I want cannot be a January-only activity.
As I reflect, some questions I ask myself are:
What has been working to help achieve my goal of intentional living?
When do I spend time in ways that detract from the life I am trying to create?
What is getting in the way for me to achieve my goals (internal or external)?
The answers to these questions and others like them provide me the backdrop to refocus. Refocusing is an internal process. When I hit the pause button on the remote, I can more easily digest, process and bring greater clarity. Refocusing becomes a personal experience in which I:
Prioritize what values are most important to me,
Commit to continue forward in the areas that are working well, and
Reconcile areas of my life that are not where I want them to be so I can hit “reset” where necessary.
It is this time of “refocus” that allows me to see clearly. I immediately conjure up the idea of a photographer bringing a majestic landscape into view through her camera lens. The scenery was always there, but it takes the refocusing of the camera to bring it and all of its splendor into view.
So, now I see clearly, but just seeing isn’t enough. My thoughts must move to action. What changes do I have to make in order to reset and bring the life I want into view?
Develop actionable steps for my priorities,
Create a system of accountability (like setting deadlines on my calendar, reminders in my phone, or telling a friend or colleague and asking them to check on my progress),
Let go of that which no longer serves me (and those things I just can’t control).
With a clear picture of what I need to do in front of me, I can walk (again) toward my intentional life. For me, this means:
Continuing my quiet morning time,
Renewing my commitment to read one book for my professional growth each month, and
Building on the relationship I have created with an accountability partner
These steps move me closer to the life I envision for myself and my family.
Along with the tools of reflection, refocusing, and resetting, we often need an extra set of ears, a questioning mind, and a caring heart to join us in the journey. The path to intentionality is best not traveled alone. I have found fellow sojourners in friends, colleagues, and even in an executive coach. If I were good at asking myself the questions that revealed the actions I needed to take, I would never have had to make my goal of living intentionally in 2022 a priority in the first place…and never would’ve had to take a step back like I am now. I would have already been doing it.
So, with reflection, refocusing, resetting, and a traveling companion (or two), I have finally found the reset button. You can find the reset button for your life too.
You can take the same three steps. Reflect, Refocus, Reset.
Emmy Beeson, The Change Coach, has dedicated her life to educating and serving others, knowing that by growing within, we can grow others in more significant ways. Emmy knows that by asking key questions, one can open up and discover a whole new way of approaching the world. If you're ready to look within, schedule a free strategy session with Emmy today.