MIRROR

There are times reflections are bought to the forefront of your mind. 

Times like:

• New Year Celebrations
• A shock or loss
• Another trip around the sun 🎂

That's me. Today I turn 49.

There's a few more lines, a bit more weight, less limber joints and lots of lessons learned. 

I've lived in 13 different homes, raised two children, been blessed with the same partner for over 34 years, built relationships, got things wrong a lot, fought some battles and felt so deeply it's made me cry.

That's the game though, right?

Experiences, lessons, hopes & dreams.

What if you didn't wait for life to remind you to reflect, but instead, made purposeful living a regular occurrence?

You'd be quicker to catch what wasn't working, you'd move closer toward what matters, and there'd be less chance of regret in your future.

And I'm all about that! Empowered mums living on purpose? Yes please 👏

Here's 3 ways to bring more reflection into your days:

The Rearview Mirror

As suggested, the Rearview Mirror approach encourages you to look back on your life. Whether it's relationships, health, choices or experiences, I have one rule: look back with compassion. Healed people heal people, so the ability to reflect with a loving heart can make the moments you treasure even richer and the moments that almost broke you, more bearable. Compassion takes the sting from the injury by reliving you of it's heavy weight, and when you set this weight down, it frees you to move forward with lightness and clarity. Now that feels good 🤌

Your Mirror

This approach again calls for compassion: compassionate curiosity. I encourage you to look into yourself, past the wrinkles, freckles, dark circles, blemishes or scars and find who you are within. What lights you up? What are you longing for? What's breaking you? Remember, you are your most powerful resource, and you must value that. Go within so your light can shine out.

Mirroring Others

There's a school of thought that suggests 'if we see it in others, it must be in ourselves'. This can be both a beautiful reminder and sometimes a bitter pill to swallow. By using compassion to reflect on what you see in others and yourself, you can make safe strides toward the energy and behaviours of the woman you want to be. If you're seeing someone as pushy, is this showing you you're pushy in an area of your life, or alternatively, perhaps you noticing this is an indicator you'll benefit from being more assertive?

Don't wait for the wrecking ball of life to wake you up, or a decade of years you can't get back. Live today as if you're preparing for important trip. Love as if you're saying goodbye, prepare your mind, body and finances as if you have to rely on only you, and savour the small things. 

As I look back at the last 49 years, I've been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. And one of those blessings was the 'lightbulb' moment I got when I was 21. It's the moment I began to move from victim to grateful, from bitter to better, and it changed the trajectory of my life forever, not to mention my children's. 

You, and those you love and lead, want to experience the wholeness of you - the messy and the fun parts. All of you matters. 

Happy reflecting my friend - what you find might be the greatest gift of your life ✨

Catherine