| 10 questions to help you finish your year
"What key practice has sustained you during this year?"
A mentor asked me this recently as we sat on his front porch. An answer came to mind immediately:
Quarterly prayer retreats.
Every 3 months, I block out a day to pray, review and refocus with God.
It usually involves a drive to somewhere beautiful (although during lockdown I had to be a little more creative!), staying offline, taking a long walk, journaling, lots of silence and allowing my mind to unravel.
I try to make these prayer retreats more about listening to God and my spirit than filling it with my ideas and plans. The practice for me is about space making.
Though it can be hard to be still and stay quiet, I look forward to these days because they keep me living with integrity and focus. They provide some accountability and awareness of how I'm living in alignment with God and areas where I might need to pay a little more attention. Because they're so important, they get booked into my calendar before most other appointments, events or client work.
I return from these days encouraged and excited to step into the next quarter, and with new vision for the season ahead.
Søren Kierkegaard said, "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
Over the years, I've refined a set of 10 questions that help me gain some deeper perspective by looking backwards and prepare to live forwards with intention.
If you've ever been coached by me, you've probably heard me ask you some of these questions:
1: What was my sense of God's leading at the beginning of this year?
2: What goals did I set? What did I hope would happen from pursuing those goals?
3: What progress did I make?
4: What positive change have I noticed?
5: What am I proud of that's happened this past year?
6: What have I found challenging this year and what opportunities have they given me to grow?
7: What are the key lessons I have learned this year?
8: What have been my prayers? How have I seen God responding?
9: Who and what am I grateful for? How could I give thanks?
10: What is my sense of God's leading into the next season?
It can be helpful to bring journals to look back through as you reflect. I often discover so many patterns and themes that I may have missed without returning and putting them all on one page!
I've adapted these questions to suit other key transition moments, when one season is finishing and another begins. I hope they are helpful for you as you wrap up 2020.
Here's a photo from my prayer spot on my most recent retreat. I can't wait to get back out on that cliff!
If you take your own prayer day, take a picture and send it to me at ben@blueprintleadership.com.au - I'd love to see where you're retreating!
And if you'd like to be led through questions like these to help you deepen your leadership, you can learn more about leadership coaching here.
PS. Want to receive these posts to your inbox?