I returned from a welcome break in Anglesey in August thinking ahead to a post Covid world and what our futures would look like. At the stage I wrote this below we didn’t know our daughters A level results, how Universities would open up, how this SajeImpact business would be working. I will reflect on what I wrote in August at the end of November and see how it fared!

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I have never been one for grand plans in life. Therefore it always seems strange spending as much time as I do reflecting and deciding where to go next. This year has obviously thrown a number of those plans but this gave the Summer holiday reflection more purpose and energy than usual.

This year was supposed to be different. I am sure it was for you. Our children hit 18 and 21 in March - with one finishing a law Degree and one (hopefully) embarking on her life at University. I had decided to ‘retire’ from chasing too much paid work and we were going to celebrate with a family holiday in June. The rest is history as they say. We lost the birthday parties, the holiday our son is trying to join the worst job market in my living memory and who know about A level and University courses?

So my ‘normal’ reflective period on holiday has some added dimensions but this doesn’t distract from the overall purpose and hasn’t changed that much of my thinking.

Sitting quietly, thinking and contemplating is not wasting time. Not ‘doing’ is actually a really healthy pursuit. As part of personal development I encourage people I work with to have these large reflective periods at least once or twice a year, but also to take on mini or micro reflections in the quiet moments of life (If you don’t have many I understand, but if you can create them please do!) Some people I know have a big Master plan for life with every detail sketched. I have some broad outlines of what I think i want my life to look like and then leave the rest to opportunities that present themselves along the way. I have come to understand that both extremes are fine.

Making the Most of Life

We live in an increasingly consumerist society, so the first part of self reflection I try to get across is for people to not think about the future about what you own or have owned but who you have been. All too often when I ask people to describe themselves in 10-20-30 years they describe their house and car!

There has to be more to life than these. I can assure you as I get older the less I am interested in material things.

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This is not just about money - but your time, words and presence. What are you doing and feeling about where your future is heading?