The Perfect Time to Pause and Reflect
We are now at the halfway point of 2023.
The perfect time to pause and reflect on how far you have come since January.
Our default brain programming tends to focus on what we haven’t done yet, what we still want to do, and what our goals are before year-end. Society encourages this too.
We focus on how far we have to go. Not how far we have come.
What if you paused to reflect on how far you have come, what you have accomplished, and how you have grown already?
Pausing, being present, and enjoying your journey are one of the most effective tools for moving forward.
Reflection is a form of presence.
Pausing to reflect is usually fun and satisfying.
Most of us miss out on the opportunity.
Even if it has been hard, likely there is good mixed with the challenges, learnings, growth, and evolution.
What have you accomplished in the first half of 2023?
How have you grown?
How have you changed, grown, and evolved?
What you practice grows.
Pausing to reflect enjoy, appreciate, and feel gratitude and satisfaction often propels and inspires you effortlessly towards future growth.
What you pay attention to is what you experience.
Why not pay attention to the good?
My list was quite satisfying and surprisingly long. It aligned beautifully with my words for the year- satisfied, assured, deliberate, and radiant.
It immediately inspired me to continue my journey through the rest of 2023 with grace, presence joy, creativity, and gratitude.
A few of the things on my list -
became “Lita” and spent a lot of time snuggling with my grandson
led 4 Sagrada coaching, yoga, and culinary medicine retreats and two Honoring Diastole Retreats
led 3 small group coaching programs, coached at Stanford and MUSC, and coached A LOT of women 1:1
hired my husband- allowing him to retire from the law and us to grow a whole new side of our relationship ( a work in progress still)
celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary
shared 26 new livestream yoga classes and 29 podcasts with the world
hiked in the Smokey Mountains, the Wasatch Mountains, Muir Woods, and in the wildflower super bloom
guest coached in two different programs
worked with Dr. Shauna Shapiro at Esalen
was invited to give the National Women's Physicians Day talk at my old work
learned how to cook rainbow ratatouille
began to learn sound bath techniques
What I have discovered the more you remember the more wonderful things you remember. Kind of like the what you love exercise for those who have worked with me.
The more you remember and attend to the more you grow feelings of pride, accomplishment, and gratitude.
This doesn’t mean you don’t notice or acknowledge the challenges. I had plenty of those too. The disappointments and challenges can coexist with the delights and successes.
And I can choose for today to bathe myself in a delicious neurochemical soup and honor who I have become.