R E M I N I S C E
// An annual reflective exercise for those who have attended a SummitTrek Life Plan Retreat //
reminisce /ˌreməˈnis/ - indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events
As in all great stories, your life has had ups and downs, surprising rescues, numerous guides, and so many opportunities for learning from both the good and the bad. Life Plan was likely the first time you stood back and looked at the expanse of your story in any detail. You mined your story for treasure by mapping the highs/lows, approaching it with empathy and curiosity, and then documenting the necessary understanding to move your story forward in the most positive way.
“We don’t learn from our stories, we learn from examination of our stories.”
~ Terry Gross
But each subsequent year since your Life Plan retreat holds similar treasure. And like the pages of a great book, the chapters unfolding of your story would benefit from a similar look and thoughtful examination. Welcome to SummitTrek’s annual REMINISCE exercise.
What if we took the time to sort through the blur of the last year and capture all the incredible value found there to help mark a more prosperous way forward? What if we took the time to focus around two essential questions:
- What happened last year?
- What do I need to learn from this past year?
- How do the answers to those two questions inform my coming year?
That certainly seems like a great way to spend a couple of hours before we dive into the next 8,760 hours that make up the next year!
We invite you to review your Plan-on-a-Page, your Legacy Letter, and even do a brief flyover of your Timeline before you proceed. For you, this will likely become an annual exercise.
Grab a pen and a notebook. Get somewhere beautiful, quiet, or creative where you can spend an hour or two completely undisturbed. Breathe, pray, meditate, benevolently detach, or whatever you do to clear your mind/heart from worries, distractions, etc.
STEP ONE: CAPTURING YOUR YEAR
Spend 30-45 minutes capturing your last year. Use your photos from your phone or your calendars to recount your prior year’s highs and lows. We’ve provided you about 20 lines below for each, but to simplify things, you may start by reviewing January, trying to capture the high and low for the month, before moving to the next. (If you are an overly detailed person, resist the urge to be so detailed. If you tend to over-simplify and not provide too much detail, resist that urge as well.)
Trust your gut, you are looking for the stronger emotional responses, but not necessarily the big events. You may have lost a job, but it was the way you were treated and how it made you feel that is the bigger issue. You may have celebrated a big birthday, but the most significant thing was one really thoughtful gift or note from a special person.
When you finish making your list, circle the top three most significant positive and negative elements from each list and consider what made them so significant.
STEP two: reflecting on your year
Work through the following questions and write down their answers in your journal or notebook.
What title would you give this chapter of your story?
If you had to summarize your three predominant emotions as themes, what were the three you experienced as you look over your year?
What experiences or relationships brought you the greatest joy?
If you are a spiritual person, in what ways do you sense God was participating in the things going on in your life? (Some call this dusting for the fingerprints of the Divine.)
How have you pushed through fear and doubt to act courageously?
What do you need to celebrate? What areas of growth or breakthrough can you point to over the last year?
Is there anything you need to more fully grieve from last year?
Is there anyone you need to forgive? Do you need to forgive yourself?
Where did you find yourself failing? What did you learn from that failure?
Where did you operate from fear or shame? Where did you see yourself resisting change or clinging to control?
What needs to be pruned from your life or left behind in the prior year? What omission from the prior year would help you flourish more in the coming year?
If you are a spiritual person, what do you feel like God has to say about this?
Any regrets coming to the surface? Is there a relationship that needs repair?
What are you lacking that you know you need to put into practice (personal, professional, spiritual)?
STEP THREE: LAYING A FOUNDATION FOR NEXT YEAR
Continue to work through the following questions, writing your answers in your journal or notebook.
After going through STEPS ONE and TWO where we captured and reflected on our prior year, what do you sense all of that is indicating about the coming year? (If you are a spiritual person, you could engage God and ask what wisdom and insight might be offered for the coming year.)
Considering how your story contains wisdom, knowledge, and revelation, where do you feel like you need to mature, grow in integrity and take steps into a more integrated and healthier life? (You might consider the following categories: Body, Mind & Emotions, Spiritual Family, Marriage/Romance, Friends, Community, Work, Fun, Finances)
Are there any other lessons learned, wise counsel, warnings, etc. that you found in your REMINISCE that would be helpful for you to remember for the coming year?
Is there a phrase, word, picture, or idea that might serve as a rallying and reorientation point as you go through the coming year? (Take a few minutes to get still, quiet, and allow your imagination and recollection be reengaged through meditation, prayer, practice of silence, etc.)
STEP FOUR: BUILDING ON THAT FOUNDATION FOR NEXT YEAR
While we found that knowledge and understanding of a better life incontrovertibly revealed through our Life Plan process have a way of coming to fruition even without some sort of a plan, it is always better to have one.
What are three things you must commit to in the coming year in order to realize a much better year? (Having captured all you learned through your REMINISCE process)
What people or groups of people are bringing you the most joy and providing necessary energy for your life? (Who do you need more of in the coming year?)
What people or groups of people are draining and taking necessary energy from your life? (Who do you need less of in the coming year?)
Well done! If it would help you stay aligned, share your insights from step 4 with a friend, partner, mentor or coach.
If it has been more than 2-3 years since your last Life Plan retreat, consider signing up for another soon, or join us for a Better Story half-day workshop. Click the link below for upcoming dates and registration info.