Made a move #31: Reflecting on past to Move Forward

I’ve been reading and listening to a variety of personal improvement advice over the past couple years and one (of many) suggestions that is common to all of them is the importance of journaling… and reflecting on what was recorded in the past.  Whether it is Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy, Barbara Sher, John Maxwell, Cheryl Richardson, my Uncle S, etc – they all start their advice with organizing and putting your thoughts to paper.  This is the starting point of making a move to defining, developing, and succeeding in real changes in life.

Today I was moved to add to my journal.  In doing so, I looked back and saw that my last entry was 3/21/12!  This spurned me on to reflect on what I have accomplished in the past 5 months and beyond…  I began this Journal in December 2010 with the intention to document my progress towards getting out of “Stuck”, my dreams for what I want to do/ build/ accomplish, and insights into my own psyche and my experiences.  It started with:

In looking back through the journal I see myself describing the feeling of “stuck” several times, all in reference to feeling a lack of moving forward to accomplish my dreams, but each time in a different way.  From the first one being of a complete lack of control like being stuck in a web; to the August 2011 feeling of “stuck” in lack of initiating any of the specific things I had outlined to do; to the present feeling of “stuck” not knowing to which path to direct my steps along with the feeling of constraints holding me back.

Subtle differences but very significant.  Through my accomplishments over the past year (including consistently adding to this blog each week!), I have a clearer and deeper understanding of myself.  I now feel confident in my abilities to succeed in whatever I choose to do and  I have a clear sense of how to get started.  My challenge now is choosing my path and to do as my Uncle S told me a year ago – “Just pick one of your ideas and DO something with it.”

How fitting that I wrote in my journal in that 3/21/12 entry (in describing two messages portrayed in the book Winterling by Sarah Prineas) “To define who we want to be, we need to stop and reflect on our actions, abilities and desires.” and “We have powers/ strengths inside us waiting for opportunity to be revealed.”

I’m finally ready.  I look forward to documenting my steps in the new directions next week!