Earlier this week Jian Ghomeshi of CBC said, “September must we dread you?” An excellent question! September can often be like a wild fairground ride. You know the one where you are strapped into a chair that slowly, slowly climbs up….and then WHAM drops you back down to the ground? Yeah – that’s how September often feels!
My summer was idyllic in many ways and I wanted to be more intentional and planful about September this year. As we transition into the last quarter of the year, which many people consider to be the “real” new year, it seemed like a good time to take a moment and reflect on my intentions for the rest of the year. To pause and think about what this year has been like thus far and to get clear on how I want to finish 2013.
I won’t take credit for this idea – it came to me via a blogger whose work I follow. You can find the link here – http://www.katmcnally.com/p/august-moon-13.html
I liked the questions that were posed and found myself thinking about ways to use them with clients.
Here’s a sampling of the questions…
How have you treated yourself this year?
What word was your travelling companion this year?
Where have the surprises been? The highs and lows?
What opportunities have come your way?
Count the blessings you’ve had to be grateful for this year.
What yearnings have you developed? What do you want to let go of?
How do you intend to transition into the new season?
How would you like your year to end?
Writing out the answers to these questions and more has certainly eased my transition into September.
One thing’s for sure – it started me thinking about more ways to incorporate blogs and exercises such as these into my counselling whether in-person or online.
If you have a favourite blogger whose work you share with clients let me know! I’m always eager to add to my list.
Dawn M. Schell, MA, CCC, CCDP is an affiliate of Worldwide Therapy Online Inc. http://www.therapyonline.ca
*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA