Fortnotes

Life provides us with more opportunities than ever before. We can discover everything about our favourite celebrities at the click of a button and we are able to transfer money in seconds.

We live in an era of enlightenment that provides unlimited opportunities to invest in the environment that surrounds us. It is a truly great time to be alive but with great choice comes the feeling of being overwhelmed. Much like the restaurant menu that has too many options, society today can paralyse the reader.

In order to make sense of things, we have a choice. We can let the world overwhelm us or we can take stock. Look over our shoulders and see what we have done in order to make a plan and create a direction for travel.

The way in which I take stock is to write Fortnotes. To look back on what I have done or not done and reflect on the reasons for this. Look at the successes and failures in order to improve on the following fortnight. A potentially obsessive confession but not one that I am ashamed by.

What do They Look Like?

Week, fort or even monthly notes will look different for each person that writes them. My friend initially pushed me on to the idea and I started to write weekly updates on my life, what I've achieved and what I have left to achieve, but it was too much.

The only outcome I was finding was that my self-esteem went down the toilet. I was constantly feeling as though I'd let myself down. Writing down my goals, getting distracted and then coming back the following week only to find that the list was still unfinished.

With this in mind, I shifted my approach, writing my notes on a fortnightly basis to give time to tick items off, which keeps me focused and motivated. This is something that is essential. Work needs motivation in order to be effective. A lack of motivation leads to a lack of self-esteem and the ability to get out of bed in the morning. It is core to our wellbeing and why writing notes on a fortnightly basis is useful.

My notes take a strand of my blog, #MindfulMonday via https://forthecontent.blogspot.com/. They are published here each and every week in order to provide me with a record to measure myself against. I find them useful to the point of continuing momentum and avoiding procrastination.

Do you Need to Reflect?

Reflection is essential to life.

• Without looking back and seeing where we have come from, how can we plan for tomorrow?
• We need to remember where we have come from in order to plan our future but this is me.
• I imagine that many people enjoy living in the moment and have no desire to reflect on what has been...something for which there could be different reasons.
• Me personally? I reflect each and every day as I know that I am anything but perfect, yet always strive to make a difference and lead a life that I want to be proud of.

To be able to be proud I need to reflect. I refuse to live within the realms of madness and do the same things over and over again.

I want to learn from the past in order to improve on the future. To do this effectively it is useful to reflect, to take a moment and think about each action and whether or not they added purpose to my life. If they did not then why would I do them again?

Mistakes are what make us who we are but if we do not learn from our mistakes then surely we are doomed to repeat them once again? This is why history is taught in school to ensure that history does not repeat itself and as much as possible, countries and the people that inhabit them learn. They do not cause suffering to others because they can look back and see what it does to those around them.

Writing is my Therapy

I have written many times that writing is my therapy as it truly is. It is how I relax at the end of a long day and make sense of things. Beyond the conversations and the endless noise is the clarity that can be provided at the click of a button.

At the end of a pen or digit we can write the story that we want to read but how can we get there unless we look at what has gone before?

We do not want to copy the story of another. We want to write something that is fresh and exciting in order to keep us focused on tomorrow on what will come rather than using the same lines and scenarios again.

I enjoy taking half an hour every two weeks to reflect on what has happened. To think about what went right and what went wrong. What I can do to change the mistakes and help to make tomorrow a better day, whilst at the same time taking a moment to smile about what went right.

A Final Thought

Taking half an hour every two weeks is nothing. Yes, some out there will still say that they do not have time but my argument would be that if something is important then you make time. You take a step away from your comfort zone and attempt to create something better and with this in mind, what is half an hour for clarity?

It doesn't necessarily need to be for half an hour. It doesn't necessarily need to be every fortnight. It could simply be one line a day or one paragraph a week, the important consideration is the reflection itself as that is how we discover clarity and enable change. This is my approach but it is not to say that it is unique or even the only one that you can utilise.

If anything I hope that this entry helps you to ask questions and see where you are with your life. Do you have goals that you want to achieve but are unable to break out of the day to day mould? If that is the case then take a moment and write down some thoughts as these are how you can turn frustrations into success.