A few weeks ago, almost smack-dab in the middle of the year, I celebrated a milestone birthday.
And as my email community knows, because I send them a big list of questions to ask themselves, I looooove a good midyear review + planning session!
This year, however, my milestone birthday prompted me to conduct mine a little differently. Below are twists I added, which you can certainly adopt whether you’re approaching/experiencing a milestone birthday, a different role or career path, a change in life or job status, an empty nest, or any form of new chapter.
Then, keep reading if you’d like to see my responses to a few of the review questions (and stay tuned for the outcomes of my ‘planning’ portion!).
A New Twist On The Ol’ Review
Most notably, instead of looking just at the first half of 2022, I actually looked at my whole life up to this point.
Now, that may sound overwhelming (well, depending on your age, I suppose!), but I divided it into decades: Birth to age 10, age 10-20, and so on. Then for each decade, I asked a few questions:
What moments or experiences stand out?
Highs and lows, personal and work- or school-related, whatever came to mind. Just a few bullet points for each decade.
What major lessons did I take from that decade?
This was actually very thought-provoking, a bit surprising in some cases, and utterly fascinating. Again, I basically did this in a bullet-point format; I’m sure I could have listed a million lessons for each, but I stuck to just a handful.
What word or phrase captures the essence of that decade?
My first couple of decades, for example, primarily encompassed learning: about myself, the world around me, and from an academic perspective. And although each decade held a variety of experiences and lessons, I was actually surprised that I could generally sum them up in a few words.
Consider adapting this in a way that suits you. If you are embarking on a new role in your career, for example, you could list all your previous roles (instead of decades) and ask the same three questions.
My Responses
Here are my responses to a few of the review questions. (If you’d like the full list of questions, make sure you’re part of my email community!)
What moments or experiences stand out?
In my overall life review, pivotal experiences varied widely: Raising my children. A completed marathon. An emergency trip by ambulance. Hosting my first public event. The death of my Mom. Moving to Iowa.
Positive and negative. Some things I planned for years, and some I never would have wished for.
Lessons from them all.
If I could choose a word or theme to represent the first half of the year, what would I choose?
My word for the first half of 2022 was ‘whirlwindy.’ (Yes, I make up words in my reviews. :-))
In the first half of 2022, my youngest kiddo graduated from high school and my middle one from college, my oldest backpacked much of Europe, we experienced some family and health challenges, we took an incredible family vacation, I made a significant decision regarding the future of my business, I lost touch with some people and rekindled relationships with others.
Rollercoastery. Whirlwindy. Both seem accurate!
What has contributed to my growth, personally and professionally?
My answer for this applies to both the first half of 2022 as well as the last few decades: Working with a coach. Reading loads of books. Joining groups, attending conferences, enrolling in classes. Engaging in meaningful conversations. Seeking help from friends and hiring help from professionals, depending on the situation.
What habits have I started? Stopped? Continued? How are they impacting me?
LOTS of habits over the years, but one that I started decades ago and have continued ever since has, I believe, impacted my life the most:
My morning practice!
The time and some of the contents have changed over the years, but the commitment to start my day in a positive and purposeful way has truly been life-changing for me.
Going Forward
An important part of the Review + Planning Session is, of course, the planning! The dreaming! The envisioning and goal-setting! For the record, I spend much more time on this portion than on the review.
This time, in addition to looking ahead to the second half of the year, I also asked myself this question:
What does ten-years-from-now Christi want to look back and say about her previous decade?
I found that placing myself ten years in the future, looking back, expanded my vision greatly. Stay tuned for more on that!
So there you have it – a few twists, examples, and ideas to hopefully help you celebrate your growth and start designing your best next chapter! If I can support you in this or along the way, please reach out – it’s one of my all-time favorite things to do!
Ready to design and achieve your BEST next chapter? Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC can help! Reach out today to discuss possibilities!