Aug 5·edited Aug 5Liked by Lori L. Cangilla, Ph.D.
Happy Birthday month to you Lori! I am a big fan of birthday reflections! I'm such a big fan that I've run groups with other people to gain more creative momentum as a community. You're right; it's a "reflective souls" thing. I like your list and will incorporate some of those questions into my birthday self-reflection later this month.
Happy Birthday month to you, too, Mary! I love the idea of a birthday reflection group! What an amazing way to gently nudge ourselves out of introspection and nurture a community of kindred spirits. Wishing you a fruitful birthday reflection! 🩵
Happy early birthday, Tonya! :) I’m happy to hear that you’re going to journal with them. Wishing you a wonderful time of reflection and introspection! 🩵
Lori, I like to reflect on my birthday as well. That's when we move from one cycle to the next. But I'm not adverse to New Year's soul searching either! Thanks for this list of questions. I like how you've covered a lot of ground in a relatively short list of questions. We can go deep with each one.
Grateful to hear from you, Sandra! Both of these are natural times to pause; I’m just personally rather low energy at New Year’s and not as inclined to do that soul-searching and goal setting then. I’m tied to the academic calendar with a child in school and a husband who works at a university, so late summer and early spring tend to be more appealing times for me. But as with these prompts, we can make the self-reflection process fit our lives and trust that we’ll cover the ground we need to, even if it’s not the same way that others go. 🩵
What a great set of questions. These ones especially are not ones I usually think of, but now I will! "Who and/or what have I outgrown this year? Have I marked those endings for myself and anyone else involved? What do I need to do to tend to the grief of endings?"
Thank you, Liz! I find it hard to move forward in my life without consciously acknowledging what the endings mean to me. Once I do that, I feel lighter and free to keep growing, which is amazing. I hope these prompts give you some of that same lightness!
Thanks for the well wishes, Mesa! I'm grateful to get another go around. :)
I'm excited that you'll be able to put some of my prompts to use as you reflect on your Substack journey.
Your prompt is quite evocative and fits so well with mine. I like to think of a new definition of myself emerging each year. Definitely adding this to my list, so thank you for sharing it. ❤️
May we both find time soon to take all these thoughts out of our brains and put them onto paper/screen!
Thank you for these prompts. We have lived in our new home and new town for a year next week. It seems like a perfect time to reflect on the past year and plan for the coming year.
Beth, thanks for sharing your perspective! It seems like you’re in a natural transition point where these might come in handy. I’d love to hear if any of the prompts are particularly helpful. 🩵
Happy Birthday month to you Lori! I am a big fan of birthday reflections! I'm such a big fan that I've run groups with other people to gain more creative momentum as a community. You're right; it's a "reflective souls" thing. I like your list and will incorporate some of those questions into my birthday self-reflection later this month.
Happy Birthday month to you, too, Mary! I love the idea of a birthday reflection group! What an amazing way to gently nudge ourselves out of introspection and nurture a community of kindred spirits. Wishing you a fruitful birthday reflection! 🩵
I love these questions- It's my birthday soon as well so I looking forward to journaling with them. Thank you for sharing 🙏🏻
Happy early birthday, Tonya! :) I’m happy to hear that you’re going to journal with them. Wishing you a wonderful time of reflection and introspection! 🩵
Lori, I like to reflect on my birthday as well. That's when we move from one cycle to the next. But I'm not adverse to New Year's soul searching either! Thanks for this list of questions. I like how you've covered a lot of ground in a relatively short list of questions. We can go deep with each one.
Grateful to hear from you, Sandra! Both of these are natural times to pause; I’m just personally rather low energy at New Year’s and not as inclined to do that soul-searching and goal setting then. I’m tied to the academic calendar with a child in school and a husband who works at a university, so late summer and early spring tend to be more appealing times for me. But as with these prompts, we can make the self-reflection process fit our lives and trust that we’ll cover the ground we need to, even if it’s not the same way that others go. 🩵
Great questions. Happy birthday!
Thanks, Marina! ❤️
What a great set of questions. These ones especially are not ones I usually think of, but now I will! "Who and/or what have I outgrown this year? Have I marked those endings for myself and anyone else involved? What do I need to do to tend to the grief of endings?"
Thank you, Liz! I find it hard to move forward in my life without consciously acknowledging what the endings mean to me. Once I do that, I feel lighter and free to keep growing, which is amazing. I hope these prompts give you some of that same lightness!
Feliz cumpleaños Lori❣️ You’re such an inspiration for me!
Thank you, Tam! So grateful for the words of encouragement! I'm looking forward to getting to know you more. :)
First - Happy birthday!!! Cheers to another turn around the sun <3
Second - that last prompt about legacy is something that I think about often.
I love all of the prompts and will most likely use the first one for my Substack anniversary post! So, thank you for that :)
A journal prompt was something I was asked to write when I was interviewed this week on Marquita Moore's stack, I think it might be helpful here too:
Write about what it means to let go of the limiting beliefs about your life. What does it feel like to redefine yourself?
Thank you again for sharing some wonderful questions to get my brain going! :)
Thanks for the well wishes, Mesa! I'm grateful to get another go around. :)
I'm excited that you'll be able to put some of my prompts to use as you reflect on your Substack journey.
Your prompt is quite evocative and fits so well with mine. I like to think of a new definition of myself emerging each year. Definitely adding this to my list, so thank you for sharing it. ❤️
May we both find time soon to take all these thoughts out of our brains and put them onto paper/screen!
Thank you for these prompts. We have lived in our new home and new town for a year next week. It seems like a perfect time to reflect on the past year and plan for the coming year.
Beth, thanks for sharing your perspective! It seems like you’re in a natural transition point where these might come in handy. I’d love to hear if any of the prompts are particularly helpful. 🩵