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Reflection Time

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Ferris Bueller said it best, "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  Tonight as I sit here in a very quiet house while my son spends the week with his father, I know that reflection is a good thing.  To say the past two years of my life has been a whirlwind is an understatement.  But as I reflect back on my life today, I realize how much I have and how very lucky I am.  I wasn't unhappy yesterday, I just wasn't fully aware of how truly happy I am.

If we can't even stop to realize whether we're happy or not, how do we make decisions that impact our lives and all those people who work with us and depend on us?  If you are not taking time to reflect at work, how do you know where you are, where you're going, and how you'll get there?

Carve out 15 minutes in this week's schedule to seriously reflect on what you want to achieve in the next five years.  Make as many notes as you can during that time.  Don't edit yourself, just let it go.  There are no right or wrong answers.  It can be about work, personal, or both.  Just keep writing - set a timer.  See what you end up with.

Did you write down something you hadn't really thought of before? What surprised you?  What is taking up a lot of your time that isn't leading to anything on the paper?  What will you change this week  because of your reflection?

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