Intention begins with reflection (Week 7)
I don’t know about you, but my head’s been feeling really noisy lately.
So many thoughts, so many worries, so much EVERYTHING.
Last weekend I caught myself snapping at pretty much everyone who crossed my path.
When I snap at the people I love, feel overburdened by my everyday life, or find myself rage singing in my car at the top of my lungs…
That’s usually my sign to slow down. Find stillness. And get quiet.
So on Monday morning, instead of waking up and immediately reaching for my phone or my coffee, I drank a big glass of water and headed out to my screened in porch. Sitting on the couch, listening to the birds, I focused on inhaling and exhaling. Letting my mind wander.
On the drive home after dropping Eli at summer camp, instead of reaching for the latest episode of my favorite political podcast, I paused to consider whether I wanted to listen to anything at all – ultimately selecting some upbeat pop to bolster my mood.
Once at my desk, I reviewed my to-do list and mentally arranged the items in order of priority. Starting at the top, I worked through my tasks calmly and quietly as my pup Grayson snoozed at my feet.
Let me tell you – when your head feels noisy, silence is such a salve.
Silence, I’m finding, is not my default setting. It takes intention to create it for myself.
Living with intention – as an abstract concept – is something we see talked about online all the time.
But how do we actually do it?
Whether you’re intentionally bringing more silence into your day, intentionally reflecting on your life, or intentionally choosing your next step…
Intention is what happens when we pause and become mindfully aware of what’s happening around us. When we take stock of what is, and consider what’s next.
Intention begins with reflection.
Which is exactly what we’re doing in our last, and final, week of the Life Design Sprint.
Well, my friend – we did it!
Seven weeks ago, we embarked on a journey to design a career and life you love. Did you solve all the things in 7 weeks? Likely not.
Because, let’s be honest, designing our lives is a lifelong process!
And/but/also – we made a lot of progress! Together we have:
Reframed our perspective (Week 1)
Reconnected with our values (Week 2)
Asked curious questions (Week 3)
Defined what’s working and what’s not (Week 4)
Imagined wishes for our Future Self (Week 5)
Practiced taking micro action to build momentum (Week 6)
Now it’s time to wrap things up with one of my favorite things: a reflection session!
I think reflection, as a skill, is perhaps one of the most underrated superpowers of any successful life designer. That’s because reflection isn’t just about looking backward or into the past.
It’s about seeing where you’ve been so you can intentionally decide where you’re going.
Take a moment and think back on your life on May 18, 2025 (seven weeks ago today!). If you can’t remember, you might click through your calendar or scroll through your photos on your phone. If you keep a journal, you might flip through the pages to see what you were writing about.
Go week by week and take note of the major events, experiences, appointments and gatherings that happened over the past 7 weeks. Then, find a quiet spot to sit, grab a notebook, and reflect on the following questions:
What mattered to you seven weeks ago? What were your priorities or goals?
Where were you feeling stuck seven weeks ago?
What has shifted or changed (within you or in your outer world) over the past 7 weeks?
What have you learned about yourself and what matters to you over the last 7 weeks? What clarity has arrived?
Where are you going next? What intention are you setting for yourself?
I’ll admit – I’m a reflection nerd, and yet I still discovered new nuggets of clarity by answering these questions.
One example? My quiet morning routine – the one I’d intentionally built to bring more silence and stillness into my day – quickly vanished once we moved into summer break.
I didn’t immediately notice it, but I can now see how – week over week – the chaos trickled in like a leaky faucet. Until suddenly the sink overflowed, and I started snapping at my family.
Without reflection, I wouldn’t have been able to draw such a clear connection back to how I’ve been feeling.
And without reflection, I wouldn’t be able to discern what I want to do next.
What does your reflection tell you about the intention you’d like to set next? I’d love to hear from you!
✅ Last Call for Summer Sprint Sessions! TODAY is the LAST day to take advantage of my 3-session coaching sale. If you’re feeling ready to get unstuck and make real progress on your summer intentions, grab your spot and let’s coach!
📚Join the No-Business-Books Summer Reading Challenge. For any CEOs, solopreneurs or freelancers in our community, I’ve just jumped in to join Mary Williams, my friend over at Sensible Woo, in her free CEO Summer Rebellion and you’re invited, too! Ditch your professional development books, dive into the fun ones – and win prizes while you read!
What’s on your To-Be-Read pile?
Onward,
