In this exercise, you will convert your own experiences from last year into guides, or Touchstones, for the upcoming year.
What are Touchstones? They are brief positive phrases that I use as daily guides. They remind me what is important in life. They remind me how I want to think, feel and live. They help me stay proactive, not reactive.
Exercise #2 - Touchstones
Materials: For this exercise, you will need something to write on or in. A journal, a computer, or scratch paper - doesn't matter.
Time: I recommend that you set a timer for 20 minutes. Of course you can keep going for as long as you'd like, but if 20 minutes is all you have right now, you're good.
#1 - From your list of accomplishments and disappointments, list 5-10 reflections, either what you've learned or what you wish you could learn. Keep the reflections brief. Aim to use active words in the present tense.
Using the accomplishments and disappointments posted yesterday, here are some examples:
Persisting works
Breathe through the tough times
Sadness and happiness are partners
Failing sucks
Life is easy
- Mark the messages you feel you understand deeply with a check mark.
- Mark the messages you think you need to pay attention to with a star.
- Using only the messages from the second group, rank them in order of the ones that mean the most to you to the ones that mean the least to you.
For example:
Persisting works is a Touchstone that Alex created 3 years ago. He used to give up at the first sign of failure, but after 3 years of intentional work, he feels a definite shift in his attitude. So he's putting that in the first group.
However, Alex realizes he continues to be challenged by life's emotional ups and downs. He often shuts down when he is sad, even though he's certain there's a better way to cope. So he's putting both Breathe through the tough times and Sadness and happiness are partners in the second group.
After contemplating his list overnight, Alex has decided to rank them:
Breathe through the tough times
Sadness and happiness are partners
Failing sucks
While Alex has only 3 Touchstones right now, the positive action of the first one already resonates deeply with him. He's staying open to the possibility that more will surface as he goes through the rest of Guiding Star.
Pro Tip: You might feel lost in this exercise, particularly if you haven't done this type of reflective thinking before. Be patient with yourself and give yourself a gift - time. You can leave this unfinished today and return to it tomorrow. Or even the day after. Or next week.
Pro Tip: A friend is a great resource for this exercise.
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