Year end reflection
At the end of each year, I reflect on how the year went by and derive new meanings from it. For reference, I use my journal, my timesheet, and my pictures. From these, I learn how I interpret events, what sort of person I have been, what kind of people I am drawn to, whom I am moving away from, and what mattered most to me at that point in time. One lesson I have learned is that what truly matters to us is not visible to our eyes but can only be known by our hearts. It is there for imperative to lead with my heart.
“Now here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye” – ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Present
This new year, I gave myself the gift of being mentally present for one thing at a time. Many tasks pile up, and we assume we can accomplish all of them by multitasking. Sadly, multitasking happens mostly in our heads, and in reality, we leave behind unfinished work. Incompleteness and lack of closure are the consequences of multitasking. For a change, I told myself that when I am doing something in the present, that is all I will do. Being mentally present helped me achieve faster mental closure after completing an activity. This experience simply reiterates to me that being in the here and now is essential for both accomplishment and well-being.
“Your entire life only happens in this moment. The present moment is life itself. Yet, people live as if the opposite were true and treat the present moment as a stepping stone to the next moment – a means to an end.” – Eckhart Tolle
Letter to your future self
A letter to your future self can reveal a lot about who you are aspiring to be. I learned about this exercise from the book The Earned Life by the leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith. It involves writing a letter addressed to your future self. In this letter, you highlight the choices, disciplines, and investments of effort and energy you are making today for the sake of your future self. This exercise helped me reflect on the following aspects.
Why do I do something today and for whose sake am I doing it?
I realize that to be hopeful about my future I need to be kind to my future self.
What we see as our imperfections may not be permanent and we are always in the process of evolving.
“Your future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi