WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THIS YEAR?

/in /by


As summer winds down our minds begin to focus on the upcoming term–some hope, some fears. Last week I talked about the administration that needs to get done. This week, I’m asking you to take a step back and take the long view. Not in great detail: this week isn’t about strategy. It’s about your overview in the very broad sense of you in your next term, your next year. 

So sit down with a cup of tea, and take twenty or thirty minutes of quiet reflection. What do you hope for this term? Academically. Socially. Emotionally. Physically. Write out a single sentence for each of these–and it doesn’t have to be the ultimate absolute best ever set of hopes. First or second thoughts are fine. I’d think twice about sharing at this stage, as this is basically a conversation with yourself, uncluttered by other people’s expectations and opinions.

These hopes aren’t cast in stone. You can change them as the term goes on. You likely will. They may be contradictory. That’s okay.

Now take a breath and think about your fears. Academically. Socially. Emotionally. Physically. [If there are any triggers here–skip the trigger areas, of course.] Name them on the other side of your hope sheet.

Now endorse yourself for taking the time to ground yourself in who you are and what you are about in this next term of your academic year.

Turning hopes into goals into strategies and actions that get results starts with clarifying what is really important to you in terms of your hopes, which are based on your core values. So name your hopes, and own them.

This is the first step in the work for coming close to gaining ground on your hopes. Over the next few days, savour your hopes, and know that there are almost always ways to reduce the effect and drag of fears and obstacles.

I am privileged when my clients share their hopes and fears, and we work to turn hopes into achievable goals.

Next week, turning hopes into smart goals. Which is a very good thing to do at the beginning of the term’s course work. If you’d like to get an early start, connect with  me [email protected] 

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.