Reflect, Reset, and Rest

I was looking back through my previous posts and realized I’ve written basically this exact same post, at this exact same time a year ago. Which, first of all, was a nice reminder that I’ve been writing these posts for over a year! Last year I talked about my aversion to New Year’s Resolutions and my belief in spending the first day of the year the way you want to spend the rest of the year, both of which are still true. But I do think this transition moment is an important time to remind myself (and perhaps you) of the value of reflection, resetting, and most importantly, resting.

I love the practice of reflection. I love the process of taking stock, identifying the lessons, and figuring out how I can use all that knowledge and wisdom I’ve gained in the future. We have been conditioned to think of learning as something someone else does for us: we attend a class, listen to a podcast, read a book, and so on. And those are great learning moments and even can be great reflection moments. But there’s something magical in realizing that just by taking a pause and looking backward, we have so much to teach ourselves. What a gift that is.

The practice of reflection gets a bad rap for being something solitary and, perhaps, boring. But if it’s done correctly, it should be quite active. It is, after all, a practice. Sometimes that means being truly active: go for a walk or a run or do some yoga or something else to move your body. There is a deep connection between your mind and your body and it works both directions. Your mind can train your body to do things you don’t think are possible, like run a marathon. And your body, in movement, can engage your mind in deep ways. Even if you prefer sitting in stillness, reflection should be an active practice of connecting the past with the future.

Reflection should lead to resetting. Now that you have new knowledge, what needs to change in the next few weeks, months, or even over the course of the year? What would you like to add or subtract? What have you learned about yourself that can inform who you want to be and where you want to go? You might think of it as setting some resolutions or goals. Last year I talked about making some commitments to yourself. Perhaps it feels more comfortable to set some intentions. Or, what if you finished the following sentences:

• This year, I choose….

• This year, I am….

• This year, I will…

Finally, we all need to make time for deep, intentional rest. I’m on an extended break from work right now. It’s hard, for someone like me to not feel like I’m being “productive” (even as I'm working on writing and cleaning my house and doing all sorts of other productive things). I’ve gotten multiple texts with work requests over this break, and it’s taken all that I have in me not to respond or to follow through, giving up my needed rest to serve someone else’s needs. That’s who I am. But who I want to be is someone who sets clear boundaries and holds them. Someone who knows that the rest is as important as the productivity.

So in this moment of transition, I choose rest. I am prioritizing me. I will be doing what I need to do so that I can show up as my best, whole self, for my colleagues, for my friends, for my family, and for myself. It won’t be easy, I know. But like all great intentions, it starts with a first step. What will you choose in this coming year?