Winter Solstice – A Time of Reflection (for me)

I wanted to write about the beauty of the season, share my joy of this favourite (for me) time of year, and share some tips about not becoming overwhelmed with overflowing calendars, obligations, etc. But really, who am I to share these tips? I only see this time of year through my own lens, a lens filled with clear starry skies, crisp snow, festive lights, and music. (Living on the west coast of Canada, the clear skies and crisp snow are often only in my imagination!)

As a coach, I recognize that we are each resourceful in our own lives and what is right for me can only be a suggestion for someone else. As a coach, my role is to keep my advice to myself and help my clients tap into their own creativity and resourcefulness.

That said, I will share a ritual I have at this time of year: finding a quiet spot and a couple of hours to myself and practicing deep reflection. I take stock of accomplishments and challenges of the past year and plan my priorities for the year ahead.?I feel blessed that my birthday falls early in the new year, so this annual reflection is nicely aligned. After a year of tremendous personal change, I'm looking forward to learning what new insights surface for me this year.

I make use of reference materials to help with this process. They help me ensure that I'm reflecting and planning forward holistically. I'm not affiliated in any way with these materials, but I do find them helpful. If you're interested in learning more about these resources, I include the links below.

• Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-lived Joyful Life (Burnett & Evans, 2016)
• The Artist's Way: 25th Anniversary Edition (Cameron, 2016)
• The Purpose of Your Life: Finding Your Place in the World Using Synchronicity, Intuition, and Uncommon Sense (Adrienne, 1998)
• Personal Groundwork for Coaching Assessment Tool (Ruppert, Coaching Out of the Box)
• YearCompass (Open Source)*

In the northern hemisphere, the longest night of the year is almost upon us, after which we can look forward to the ever-lengthening daylight hours. Whatever your process and way of managing through this season, Season's Greetings and All the Best to You in the Coming Year!

Lisa

*I learned about the YearCompass from my coach, Diana Theman. It's a great tool, and yes, even coaches have coaches!