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Showing posts with label season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label season. Show all posts

Sunday, December 21, 2025

Winter: The Season for Reflection

Winter is the darkest and coldest season of the year. Trees are bare. Animals are hibernating. Just like nature, our energy levels drop and we rest more. We celebrate the year with holiday traditions and those we love. We reflect on what we achieved and set new resolutions.

The winter solstice is the longest night of the year. It marks a turning point, known as the return of the new sun, when darkness reaches its peak before the days start to get longer and warmer. A completion of the seasonal cycle, it is an optimal time to pause and reflect. This event has been widely celebrated since ancient times as symbolizing victory of light over darkness.

There are several ways to make the most of winter:

Make memories with those you love the most

Have warm soup, light the fireplace, and watch movies

Clear out the clutter and reorganize your working spaces

Light a candle and reflect on the experiences and outcomes of the year

Think about what new experiences you want in the upcoming year


Enjoy your winter!


Friday, December 12, 2025

Leveraging AI to Plan for the New Year

A person with glasses and a light behind her

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

This may not be a shocker, but I love planning ahead. I’ve recently incorporated AI into my annual process and it’s significantly improved the results. AI accelerates and stretches the thinking. The real value comes from iteration and intentionality. Here are three prompts that make it really fun.

This is a fun exercise to set yourself up for a fresh start. For the first time, I recommend spreading this out over several days to give yourself time and space to think through adjustments you’d like to make before finalizing one piece and moving onto the next.

Prompt 1: A Day in the Life

  • I am currently a [title] at [company]. I aspire to become a [ultimate long-term role] by [year]
  • I was born in [year] and I plan to work until the age of [age]
  • My personal goals include [financial, relationships, etc.]
  • [Add as many specifics as possible on things that are important to you]
  • Tell me a story of a day in the life of my future self based on this description

[Continue to give feedback to adjust anything that doesn’t resonate with you and/or improvements that you think of. Repeat edits until you end up with a day that makes you feel excited!]

 

Prompt 2: Daily Schedule

[build upon the same conversation as above]

  • Create a daily schedule for me to follow that will allow me to achieve this life
  • I work [which days, which hours, do you need to drive in, what time do you prefer to start work]
  • I need [x] minutes to get ready
  • In the evenings, I like to [x / adjust and get as detailed as needed]
  • [Add in any specific nuances that happen on specific days, preferences you have that you want to plan around, etc.]

[Continue to give feedback to adjust anything that doesn’t resonate with you and/or improvements that you think of. Repeat edits until you end up with a schedule that makes you feel excited!]

 

Prompt 3: Career Map

[build upon the same conversation as above]

  • Create a strategic plan including a career map for me with a timeline. Include an objective and milestones. Tell me what to do and what not to do. Provide the long-term high-level timeline, a more detailed plan by month for the current year, and an even more detailed plan for the current quarter.

[Continue to give feedback to adjust anything that doesn’t resonate with you and/or improvements that you think of. Repeat edits until you end up with a plan that makes you feel excited!]

In the end, add your personal touch and make the final edits until it is most meaningful for you.


Sunday, July 5, 2020

Summer: The Season for Blooming


Summer is the season of light. It’s warm, vivid, and bright. The days are long. Plants blossom all around. We feel more alive than ever. Play comes naturally. We find ourselves outside more.  Summer provokes fun, exploration, and vacation. Walks, bike rides, milkshakes, and ice cream come to mind. 

During this season, the potential that we dug up during winter and planted in spring is now coming into fruition and growing. It's the ideal time to nourish projects and see them blossom.  Some of the seeds you planted are already showing in recognizable form while others are just about to sprout through the soil. Nurture and develop them for the harvest in fall when you will see the supple fruits of your labor ripening.

There are several ways to make the most of summer and thrive off the enjoyment of it’s most beautiful characteristics: 
  • Wake up early and go outside to enjoy the sunrise. 
  • Bring some flowers in and keep plants around your living spaces. 
  • Open your windows and allow the fresh air in. 
  • Pause and enjoy the richness of flowers in full bloom.
  • Enjoy your playfulness and be spontaneous. 
  • Take a trip to the beach... and go in the water.
  • Listen to the beautiful sounds of summer while letting the sun warm your face. 

Enjoy your summer!