How to Reflect on Last Year and Dream about the Next: Insights from a Leadership Coach & Spiritual Director

It’s the end of year! What are you celebrating? What’s left you worn out? Where do you feel stuck? What do you anticipate for next year?

All good questions. Some of us are energized by these types of questions.
And some of us know they are important, but they feel daunting.

No matter which camp you fall into – this conversation is for you.

Cheri Hudspith is a trained Spiritual Director who has been helping people cultivate a deeper walk with the Lord for many years. And Julie Pierce is a seasoned leadership coach who has also been walking with leaders for years.

We have an insightful conversation how to process the last year, move through stuck places, and appropriately dream with God.

This conversation is like pulling up a chair with your besties to get wise counsel on life. (Spoiler – Cheri and Julie are my besties and I can’t wait to share them with you. They are so wise. I choose great friends and thankfully they stick it out with me!)

Some highlights from our conversation:
•Cheri shares daily prayer keeps the reflection cycles short – and while good to do this it can get us deep in the weeds of life. Year end reflection allows us to pull back and see the bigger picture of what God is doing.
•Julie shared how metabolizing our year – a term borrowed from the book Necessary Endings – allows us to slow down and metabolize what’s happened in our year so we can take away the fuel for our growth and release anything that is going to be toxic for us moving forward.
•Julie shared three reasons we can get stuck: Because we are overwhelmed, afraid, or disappointed/hurt.
oIf overwhelmed she recommends to first step dump out our brain (like the junk drawer)
oIf dealing with fear, she recommends you ask what you are really afraid of? And then, what’s one small thing I can do to remove that obstacle or move through it?
oIf you are facing disappointment or hurt, she recommends naming what is disappointing or hurtful. Then do the work of metabolizing this with a trusted mentor or counselor to start the healing process.
•Cheri then shares that even the process of becoming aware of being stuck, even if we can’t name it is a gift from God. She recommends paying attention to the types of things you’re saying to yourself and other people on repeat. These may indicate that you’re cycling and staying in the same place rather than move through to a new place.
•Finally, we talk about dreaming about the new year and healthy ways to do this. Cheri starts with the importance of our dreams being in alignment with God. And Julie recommends seasons instead of full years for dreaming and goal setting.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:
Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud
The Next Right Thing Journal by Emily P. Freeman
Listen to My Life Maps which you can find here: https://www.onelifemaps.com/

You can connect with Julie at: https://www.juliepierceleadership.com/
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliepierceleadership/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliehardinpierce

You can connect with Cheri at:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheri.hudspith
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clhudspith/
If you’d like to learn more about Spiritual Direction go here:
http://beloved-daughter.blogspot.com/2017/01/spiritual-direction.html

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