Driving towards the ferry, listening to Mel Robbins’ podcast, I thought- that’s a good idea….I could try that!
I listen to podcasts mostly to do with learning in my entrepreneurial journey. Mel Robbin’s podcast falls somewhere in the space of what I need to improve on, learn, understand, lean into — more foundational than the necessary tactics that one learns ( say the mechanics of how to send this newsletter to you…)
She was going through her yearly exercise of her 6 questions. Full disclosure, I haven’t done the whole thing yet…..but I really like the idea of it. Here’s the link in case you are interested.
The first thing was to go through your camera roll starting in January of last year and ask the first two questions: What didn’t go well or how you wanted and What did. (I’m paraphrasing )
What I love about this is that I can really see how recency bias plays a role in my memory and also how the pictures that I have taken don’t necessarily line up with my perception if I only relied on my memory.
I also have found that there are a ton of things I didn’t even remember doing last year–
I couldn’t get over how much I packed into a year—things I thought were months apart were happening the following week!
As a flower farmer, now has always been the time to look back and start planning what I would like to grow again or for the first time.
My camera roll also has shown me lots of wonderful people whom I have met in various creativity workshops from large wreath making ones to one-on-one cyanotype ones, from markets to pop ups!
I have lots of fun memories of projects that we made in GEMs.
Here is our annual wreath making zoom call. GEMs in an on-line community. We meet live on zoom once a month to make something or to discuss a topic that has been a focus during the month of individual focus.
When I scroll through my camera roll, I am reminded of traits in myself that I am proud of. And things that were hard but that the camera doesn’t pick up ( I had pneumonia that really took away my energy).
When I look at some of the places that I have stayed when traveling, I am reminded about challenges – but I didn’t let that stop me. I didn’t miss out as a result.
Of course there is a person whom I miss more than I can say – my youngest daughter Ilse who continues to inspire me to be the best version of myself, whose wisdom-delivered with humour and gentle kindness- I carry with gratitude.
For those of us who have lost someone like this- we know that it is not a loss in the past, but one that carries into all our future days—the big life ones like weddings and the small quiet ones like planting peas out in the garden in early Spring.
There were photos that reminded me that I took creative risks– I made cyanotypes on the biggest and best paper I could find. It seemed risky at the time, but also I was drawn to want to try it— as I’d been stuck in thinking about it for a couple of years…
In doing this exercise and then writing to you about it– I am surprised at how gentle I am with myself. Yes there were disappointments and equally there were surprises– doing a review of any kind is a very kind thing to do for oneself. It gives a one-step-removed kind of perspective that makes it somewhat neutral and therefore clearer.
As Mel Robbins discusses in this podcast episode– there is merit in looking back so that you look forward with clarity and you don’t drag the things you wanted to forget about unconsciously into your future.
I always wish you peace on your path-
Thank you for being here, thank you for reading, thank you for passing this along to friends who might enjoy this.
Lise-Lotte
You must be logged in to post a comment.