CLARIFY

10 reflective questions for a summer break

10 reflective questions for a summer break

For the next few weeks, I’m taking a summer break.

It’s a lovely time to step away from my everyday life, to have a change of scene and of rhythm, to pull out and see things from a different perspective, to move at a different pace, to explore new places.

It’s also the perfect time to reflect on some questions that need a little more spaciousness to noodle on - either in a focused way with pen and paper in hand, or percolating quietly in the background of my brain while I’m doing something else.

So, in place of a reflection this Monday, here are 10 reflective questions. I’ll be taking them with me - and if you like you can too. Maybe all of them, or pick and mix, or use them as a springboard to create your own :-)

Do you need to sit still for a moment?

Do you need to sit still for a moment?

Last Wednesday my husband and I dropped our dog off for a haircut and took a rare walk without him. It meant we started in a different place, and took some different paths. We had time to explore, and time to pause.

Stu had an urge to sit on a bench and we stopped by a lake. It was peaceful and calm, and we sat and absorbed the beauty of the view. We spoke quietly, only to point out the things we were noticing.

And the more we looked, the more there was to see and appreciate.

What helps you find your way?

What helps you find your way?

Last Sunday I found my way in the Lake District.

As someone who is not renowned for their sense of direction - and has often got lost when navigating solo - this is a relatively big deal for me!

The day before we had climbed Hallin Fell as a group, then Stu and I took the long way back - a beautiful loop alongside Ullswater.

The next day it was just me and the dog.

I wasn’t 100% sure I could find my way - but I really wanted to.

What's the shape of your story?

What's the shape of your story?

The last few weeks have been full of my favourite things - people and their career timelines.

I love collaborating with someone to look back and learn from their journey so far - to make sense of it and use the insights to shape the path ahead.

It’s a complete gift to be a part of the process. To see and hear someone’s story. To find the themes, the patterns, the ups and the downs. To spot the threads and create a compass to navigate forward with.

But what strikes me more and more is just how much there is to learn before we even start exploring the detail.

Do you ever look back at a past version of you and think - did I really do that?!

Do you ever look back at a past version of you and think - did I really do that?!

My sister recently reminded me of the time I spent 2 months living in a tent in the middle of Hungary, part of a group from Edinburgh University helping to build an eco-village.

For many years it was top of mind - my immediate answer to the ‘tell us something we wouldn’t know about you’ question.

And yet I had almost forgotten.

What can you learn from your history?

What can you learn from your history?

Many years ago (almost 30 - eek!) I did a History degree. Not the most obvious first step to a career in marketing, consulting and coaching, but what I really wanted to study.

I loved my teachers at A level and connecting the dots between the past, the present and the future. I loved the stories, the cycles, the learnings, the repeating patterns. I loved finding the thread and making sense of the journey.

I still do.

What happened this year?

What happened this year?

Every December I pause and gather the threads of my year.

It’s a lovely ritual, and I’m noticing I start earlier and earlier - maybe because the rush of Christmas can quickly give way to ‘back to work’, or because it feels so dark so early, or simply because it’s a nice thing to do.

It’s absolutely not about looking ahead yet, or creating goals or resolutions - it’s about looking back to see the journey.

In previous years I’ve focused a lot on finding the story of it - looking fully at the ups, the downs, the learning, the insights, the implications.

This year I’m appreciating how powerful it is to simply look back and see what happened, from the start to right now.

So much happens each day, but it’s easy to lose track of how it all adds up when we’re in it.

When you don’t know what you want to do next…

When you don’t know what you want to do next…

When I look back at my career timeline it looks seamless.

I’ve transitioned between different companies, industries, roles, labels, ways of working - and I can clearly see the thread that links them.

At the time? At each of those crossroads? Not so much!

At each of those points I was full of confusion. It’s a tricky time. Knowing that something has come to an end, but not what will start up next.

What I did know was what I didn’t want.