I've been using some version of the questions below to complete my year and focus on the new year.
Want to give it a try?
Completing 2010
1. What was the greatest lesson you learned in 2010? What did you change in your life because of that lesson?
2. What is the most loving service that you performed in 2010?
3. What is your biggest piece of unfinished business from 2010? What is your plan to complete this unfinished business?
4. What are you most happy about completing in 2010?
5. What are you most happy about beginning in 2010?
6. Who are the three people that had the greatest impact on your life in 2010? Have you acknowledged their contribution to your life?
7. What is the biggest risk you took in 2010? What did you learn from taking that risk?
8. What 10 things are you most grateful for that happened in 2010?
9. What else do you need to do, say or acknowledge to complete 2010?
Creating 2011
1. What word or phrase would you like to have as your theme in 2011?
2. What would you like to be your biggest triumph in 2011?
3. What is your greatest strength? How will you build on and use that strength in 2011?
4. What do you want your biggest risk to be in 2011?
5. What makes you feel most alive? How are you going to do more of that in 2011?
6. What are you most committed to growing and improving about your work in 2011?
7. Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving in 2011?
8. What is the major effort you are planning to improve your financial results in 2011?
9. What is your affirmation statement for 2011?
10. What do you know for sure? How do you plan to stay connected to that wisdom on a daily basis in 2011?
11. Who are you most committed to being in 2011?
12. Think about December 31, 2011. What will you say about your year?
What might be the benefit of consciously ending 2010 and setting your intentions for 2011?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Choice and the Holidays
I remember the night in class when Christie looked at me and said "For twenty years I've been dealing drugs and in and out of prison and it stops now." That moment was a holy moment. Christie ‘got’ that she could make a new choice about how she lived her life.
Christie was a student in Making Choices, a class taught at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility(DWCF). The class teaches the women a five step decision making process. Every week for eight weeks the women attend a 2 hour class and meet one-on-one with a mentor who helps her apply the class material to her life. All the teachers and mentors in the program are volunteers.
Often these women ended up in prison because of reactive behavior. Many don’t understand that they can make choices based on what they want. It’s powerful to witness these women own their ability to make different choices.
We always have a choice, even if it’s only the choice of an attitude. The choice of attitude is sometimes the most significant choice we make.
The holidays offer a perfect opportunity to choose our attitude, an opportunity that I missed for many years. The attitude I chose around Christmas was akin to Scrooge. Didn’t like it—just wanted it to be over.
One Thanksgiving I attended a church service that shifted my perspective. The minister began by talking about how thick the paper had been that morning with sale flyers. She said she wished the merchants prosperity yet we each got to choose the kind of holiday season we would have.
The minister’s simple message connected with me. My Christmas disappointment occurred because of the way I thought Christmas should be rather than basing my experience on what was personally meaningful. She inspired me to ask myself these questions: How did I want to experience the holiday? What was its meaning to me?
As I asked myself those questions, my holidays became simpler and more joyful.
This Christmas is especially joyful. Christie, my former student at DWCF, has been out of prison more than 3 years and working. I’m coordinating gifts from Making Choices volunteers for Christie’s new Habitat for Humanity home.
It’s not easy to start over with a felony on your record yet Christie persevered. When her current employer asked her what she brought to the organization, Christie responded “I was a drug dealer for 20 years. I never came up short with my cash and I can talk to almost anyone.” Not only did she get the job, she’s received two promotions. Christie continues to make choices that align with how she wants to live her life.
What has been your biggest learning about the power of choice?
Happy Holidays (if that's what you choose!)
Christie was a student in Making Choices, a class taught at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility(DWCF). The class teaches the women a five step decision making process. Every week for eight weeks the women attend a 2 hour class and meet one-on-one with a mentor who helps her apply the class material to her life. All the teachers and mentors in the program are volunteers.
Often these women ended up in prison because of reactive behavior. Many don’t understand that they can make choices based on what they want. It’s powerful to witness these women own their ability to make different choices.
We always have a choice, even if it’s only the choice of an attitude. The choice of attitude is sometimes the most significant choice we make.
The holidays offer a perfect opportunity to choose our attitude, an opportunity that I missed for many years. The attitude I chose around Christmas was akin to Scrooge. Didn’t like it—just wanted it to be over.
One Thanksgiving I attended a church service that shifted my perspective. The minister began by talking about how thick the paper had been that morning with sale flyers. She said she wished the merchants prosperity yet we each got to choose the kind of holiday season we would have.
The minister’s simple message connected with me. My Christmas disappointment occurred because of the way I thought Christmas should be rather than basing my experience on what was personally meaningful. She inspired me to ask myself these questions: How did I want to experience the holiday? What was its meaning to me?
As I asked myself those questions, my holidays became simpler and more joyful.
This Christmas is especially joyful. Christie, my former student at DWCF, has been out of prison more than 3 years and working. I’m coordinating gifts from Making Choices volunteers for Christie’s new Habitat for Humanity home.
It’s not easy to start over with a felony on your record yet Christie persevered. When her current employer asked her what she brought to the organization, Christie responded “I was a drug dealer for 20 years. I never came up short with my cash and I can talk to almost anyone.” Not only did she get the job, she’s received two promotions. Christie continues to make choices that align with how she wants to live her life.
What has been your biggest learning about the power of choice?
Happy Holidays (if that's what you choose!)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Fran always said
My mom, Fran, has lots of 'Franisms' that she's shared with my brother, sister and me throughout the years. Her favorite seems to be 'life is not a dress rehearsal.' Usually this is said to encourage us to try something new or expand our horizons in some way. Other ‘Franisms’ include 'that's the kind of hairpin she is' when describing someone's unique style, 'blood is thicker than water' when emphasizing the importance of family' and 'when you have to clean, don't think about it too much, just start' to inspire action rather than thinking about taking action.
This last 'Franism' to clean rather than think about cleaning, rings particularly true for me. I love a clean house but I don't enjoy the process of cleaning. When I start thinking about all the things that need to be done, I get tired before I even pick up a dust rag or mop.
Cleaning isn't the only thing I've been known to over think. Rather than over thinking and under-doing, my new battle cry has become--'something is better than nothing and today is better than tomorrow.'
If I take a small action toward a goal today--whether that's 10 minutes of exercise rather than no exercise at all, reading 5 pages of a book I want to read even if I can't sit down and read for an hour, filing one piece of paper on my desk even if I can't get through the whole stack, I feel better.
When I think of what I 'should' do or what I 'have to' do, my energy drops. When I take some small action right now, my energy increases.
Writing this blog is one of the things I've been thinking about for awhile. Today I took this small action.
How have you found taking small, consistent actions beneficial?
This last 'Franism' to clean rather than think about cleaning, rings particularly true for me. I love a clean house but I don't enjoy the process of cleaning. When I start thinking about all the things that need to be done, I get tired before I even pick up a dust rag or mop.
Cleaning isn't the only thing I've been known to over think. Rather than over thinking and under-doing, my new battle cry has become--'something is better than nothing and today is better than tomorrow.'
If I take a small action toward a goal today--whether that's 10 minutes of exercise rather than no exercise at all, reading 5 pages of a book I want to read even if I can't sit down and read for an hour, filing one piece of paper on my desk even if I can't get through the whole stack, I feel better.
When I think of what I 'should' do or what I 'have to' do, my energy drops. When I take some small action right now, my energy increases.
Writing this blog is one of the things I've been thinking about for awhile. Today I took this small action.
How have you found taking small, consistent actions beneficial?
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