Deep thinking for setting the stage

As I am now sharing the topics I spend working on during my think days, I wanted to share the topics I worked on during a recent Think day.

This think day consisted of three parts:

• General reflection on how things are going
• Reflection based on “The myth of normal”
• Analyzing the findings of the Gallup Strenghtsfinder.

In the first set of prompts, I journaled about the following questions:

• Are you hunting antelope (big important problems) or field mice (small urgent problems)?
• How can you do less, but better?
• What are your strongest beliefs? What would it take for you to change your mind on them?
• What are a few things that you know now that you wish you knew 5 years ago?
• What actions were you engaged in 5 years ago that you cringe at today? What actions are you engaged in today that you will cringe at in 5 years?
• What would your 80-year-old self say about your decisions today?

The second set of prompts were the following (which are from “The myth of normal” by Gabor Mate):

1. In my life’s important areas, what am I not saying no to?
2. How does my inability to say no impact my life?
3. What bodily signals have I been overlooking? What symptoms have I been ignoring that could be warning signs, were I to pay conscious attention?
4. What is the hidden story behind my inability to say no?
5. Where did I learn these stories?
6. Where have I ignored or denied the “yes” that wanted to be said

And

1. Identify your self-limiting thoughts as beliefs, rather than accepting them as the truth.
2. Recognize that your brain is sending you messages based on things you learned before you were able to evaluate whether they were true or not.
3. When you find negative thoughts arising in your mind, focus on doing something else, preferably something physical, healthy, and creative, rather than dwelling on the thought.
4. Investigate the value of the belief you hold and how it has affected your life and relationships.
5. Re-create. Imagine the life you would choose, rather than the one into which you have been hypnotized. Identify your own values and intentions, and what you really want in life.

Finally, I filled out the Gallup Strengthsfinder tool to find my 34 strengths. I reflected on my main strengths and how I can leverage these more.