A perspective on change, quantifying our 'more' or 'less', and the different ways we experience regret.



MONTHLY REMINDER

Change - even of the welcomed variety - is as much a symbolic death as it is a (re)birth.

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

  • What’s ended for me recently?
  • What new portal am I stepping into?
  • What losses (material/intangible) will I be grieving?
  • What newness will I be welcoming?

SEPTEMBER'S REFLECTION PROMPTS

In September, I want more…

In September, I want less…

Reader, your reflections can be abstract or tangible (e.g. joy or sleep). Be sure to get specific and be realistic. Define and quantify your ‘more’ or ‘less’.

Consider what practically needs to happen to gratefully welcome and lovingly release these ideas, behaviours, thoughts, items, feelings etc.


2 QUOTES WORTH PONDERING

1. American actress, Phylicia Rashad shares 2 aphorisms her mother taught her:

"My mother gave us aphorisms to learn as children... There are two that stand out foremost in my mind. One is: 'The inner reality creates the outer form'. I learned this when I was in grade school...and the other is: 'The Universe bears no ill to me; I bear no ill to it'."
(Source: Her 1987 interview with Bill Boggs)

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

  • What timeless piece of wisdom did I receive when I was a child, and from whom?
  • How has that piece of wisdom influenced the way I've navigated life?

2. Composer, Tina Davidson on discovering beauty in the broken:

“Let your heart be broken. Allow, expect, look forward to. The life that you have so carefully protected and cared for. Broken, cracked, rent in two. Heartbreakingly, your heart breaks, and in the two halves, rocking on the table, is revealed rich earth. Moist, dark soil, ready for new life to begin.”
(Source: Her memoir, 'Let your heart be broken: Life and music from a Classical Composer')

REFLECTION PROMPTS:

  • What has heartbreak taught me?
  • What broke my heart but healed my vision?
  • What parts of my inner being are on the mend but still tender?

POPULAR IN AUGUST

PODCAST EPISODE 79: The different ways we experience regret

(a 2-minute listen)

BLOG POST: Section 2: Two types of loss | How to process loss and grief

(a 3-min read + exercise + reflection prompts)


USEFUL LINKS

Let's stay connected. Here's where else you can find me:

Website | Podcast | Blog | Recommended Reading List*

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