When I decided at the beginning of the year to capture one lesson learned per day, I had no idea what those lessons would be. I didn’t know if it would be easy or hard to come up with something to write about nightly. The first month is behind me and I must say it has been a pleasure.
Someone asked me recently if I have a stash of things written that I’m just publishing daily. The answer is “no.” At most I may have 2-3 thoughts written down at any given time as idea starters with a sentence or two about each. They are brief notes jotted down at random times throughout the day as things happen so as not to lose the thought forever. But each night I’ll stop and ponder and pick a subject that relates to something I have experienced that day and then just start writing.
The trick is to be more intentionally reflective throughout the day – not just at the time of writing. That is something that isn’t always easy if for no other reason than because of a hectic schedule. If we rush from one thing to the next and fill our calendar with endless activities, then we leave no time for reflection. That isn’t healthy. By the time we get to slow down late at night we’re so exhausted that we have no inclination for strenuous mental activity.
If learning is important… if growing personally is something we value… if we want to improve in our wisdom and ability to make better decisions in the future, then we need to follow leap year lesson #33 and Live reflectively.
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