Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast

268. Reflect, Reset, Renew: Step-by-Step Your Year in Review

• Season 21 • Episode 268

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As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect moment to pause, breathe and take stock. In this reflective, “get reviewing with me” style episode, we walk you through a simple, compassionate, step-by-step process to look back over your year with clarity, courage and kindness.

We explore why intentional pauses matter, how rest becomes a radical act of resilience, and how reviewing the highs, lows, lessons and notable highlights can help you reconnect to what truly matters. We share our own reflections, invite you to scan your year with curiosity, and offer practical prompts around values, purpose and emotional wellbeing.

We also discuss how journaling, technology and a sprinkle of AI can broaden your perspective and support future planning - including the Safe Hands exercise and the Six Box Method to shape a flexible, energising year ahead. Both tools work brilliantly as team activities too, making this a practical episode for anyone looking to refresh a team review session.

Whether your year has been full, messy, brilliant or challenging, this episode helps you honour your experiences, celebrate your successes and reset your mindset with intention.

Key themes: reflection, emotional resilience, intentional pausing, values, purpose, self-care, notable highlights, future planning, personal growth, compassion

A grounding, inspiring listen to help you close the year well and step into the next one with confidence and calm energy. Taking just 10 minutes to look back over the past 12 months gives you the chance to notice and savour your successes;  boosting your courage and optimism for the year ahead.

We are taking 2 weeks off until the next year when we will return on Fri 9th Jan 2026! With love and thanks, Debs and Lau xx

SPEAKER_00:

Coming up on this week's Secrets from a Coach. As the Stoics were talking about two and a half thousand years ago, savouring your successes is one of the quickest ways to build and boost confidence and courage for the future.

SPEAKER_01:

Is that gonna hit my values of kindness, curiosity, family health? Yeah, it is. Okay, I'm more likely to do that then. If any of them are out of Kilter, then no, it gives you a chance to reframe it or look at it differently.

SPEAKER_00:

Secrets from a coach. Thrive and maximise your potential in the evolving workplace. Your weekly podcast with Debbie Green of Wishfish and Laura Thompson-Stavely of Phenomenal Training. Debs. Law, you alright? Yeah, I'm doing really well. Good. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm doing alright actually. Last week's little chat we had actually made me think about what I was doing in my calendar and building in those intentional moments of pausing and resting. So I actually took my own advice and did it.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I'm so grateful to you giving that example of a surgeon because I just kept thinking of that image of what would a surgeon do right now if you're about to execute a task in your life, whether it's personal or professional, how would you apply that level of precision and rigour because there are certain aspects of what we do where you don't want to make mistakes, you want to deliver your top performance and rest as a radical act, and as you said, it's not a luxury. No, it's an act of life support, life support, life support system, yes, which is true, right? Yeah, love that. And then um I loved your intent, your your encouragement around seeking to do things that don't numb us, that they nourish us, yes, and reframing that whole perception around rest, yes, being something that you kind of reward yourself with.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, it's a decision, not a reward, yeah, yeah. And it does work if you know we do do what we say we do gonna do, and we don't just like say it, do we, Laura? We do practice it as well, which is what you're gonna do, isn't it, this week. Debs.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my god. So buckle up, buttercup, we are going to do a get ready with me review. So a time of recording, this is our last podcast episode of the current year, and we are five and a quarter years in, I think.

SPEAKER_01:

I think we must be by now, yes, easily.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yeah, yes. So um with uh and and what an interesting sort of um marker as well, because we're halfway through the decade.

SPEAKER_01:

We are.

SPEAKER_00:

Um we started up in 2020 when we were given a pandemic to uh to endure and to sort of thrive through and do our best to flourish through that. So there's been uh depending on what age or stage you are at in life, you can't say that the last five years have been easy, chilled, full of full, full of full of uh smoothness. In fact, for many people, this has been quite a full-on five years. Yes, and the challenge sometimes is one of the gifts the human brain has is to have um a number of biases, and biases are the shortcuts to our thinking that enable us to make our way through the world, it makes us helps us make health and safety-based decisions, but it can also mean that the logical reality might be trickier to see. And one of the bi biases is that uh that a lot of us have is whatever is pressing and the most recent thing that we've done tends to give us the idea as to what life is all about. And so, if actually this last couple of weeks haven't been very easy, it can be easy to write off the whole year as being a nightmare year. But actually, if you just take a moment to reflect and review and cast your mind back maybe to the start of the year, yeah, it enables us to just bring a bit of balance and to evaluate, which is why what we're gonna do is we're gonna do a step-by-step um get ready with me, get get reviewing with me. And the intention behind this is the third in a three-part series looking at slow down to go faster, taking some time out to review, and we're gonna look at scanning, evaluating, and planning. So Debry Green.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, Laura Thompson Stable.

SPEAKER_00:

Double the day, double the day rate. Do you obviously don't say that to the clients? Um, do you bit late, Laura? These second husbands are very demanding. Um do you do you have something to write on?

SPEAKER_01:

I do. Paper, pen. I I didn't want to use my brand new shiny notebook because I wanted it to look lovely.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, fabulous. Well done. Um, and if you're truly committed, get that tattoo artist on call, Debs, to fill up your remaining body parts.

SPEAKER_01:

I will. I haven't filled in yet. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So let's say you're driving, walking, doing something. This is a chance just to have an opportunity to visualize in your own mind if you're gonna take uh half an hour just to sit down, cup of tea, and do a bit of scanning, evaluating planning. Maybe you are gonna join us live and you're sitting there and you're able to kind of access the various data sources I'm gonna encourage you to do. And this for me is a really good rehearsal, Debs. I've got a couple of one-to-ones booked in with people next week.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Specifically to give them, it's become a bit of a ritual, actually, an opportunity to review and preview. Nice. So, what a brilliant way to pack down what might have been for you a really full-on year, and sometimes our biases can kick in. It feels like everything that is on our plate right now defines who you are as a whole, but actually sometimes taking a bit of a strategic perspective. And as the Stoics were talking about two or two and a half thousand years ago, savouring your successes is one of the quickest ways to build and boost confidence and courage for the future.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice, I like that. Okay, so is that what you're gonna get me to do?

SPEAKER_00:

Let's get ready.

SPEAKER_01:

Savour.

SPEAKER_00:

Beautiful. Okay, so we're gonna do some three steps, Debs, because I can't think of any other way.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I'm ready for my three.

SPEAKER_00:

All right, let's go.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm all yours.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, step one, Debs. We are gonna scan. Because how do you know what to bring forward and do more or less of unless you have taken a moment to review and reflect? So, this is where we're gonna take a real 21st century approach to this because those machines in our life, Debs, absolutely know what our actual activity levels are. So, um, one of the things that both of us could maybe do live is why don't we look at what our phones are telling us is our average daily screen time.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So, step one of scan is we are gonna basically scan all the data so we can think about how our year has gone. Right. So we are going to look at what our screen time has been. So you find that via settings.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, thank you. Me and being a technophobe, yeah. And I know we screen time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So who's gonna do it?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm looking.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

And of course, because we are fully grown adults, there's no one else in our life telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing. It's all of our own choice. So one of the first things we're doing is, and part of our scanning, is what do I get up to on average over uh over uh over a day? So have you got your daily average screen?

SPEAKER_01:

No, how do I find it? I'm on a Samsung, not an Apple or Right, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, um I'm sure it will be there somewhere.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm sure it's somewhere, but go on. Uh while you're telling me yours, I'll be looking for mine. I'm a technophobe, you can tell, can't you? I never look at screen, I never look at screen time.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, well, that'll either be a good thing or a positive thing. So mine is mine is uh four hours 46 minutes daily screen time. Daily screen time quite a lot.

SPEAKER_01:

That is a lot, okay. I found it. Oh, I found it, right.

SPEAKER_00:

What's yours?

SPEAKER_01:

So, oh, okay, that's interesting. Mine is two hours thirty.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. You've obviously got more work. You've obviously got more work on than I'm at the moment. No, I don't that solitaire ain't gonna play itself, dude.

SPEAKER_01:

No, exactly, no. Wow, okay, okay. I didn't well, I thought that would be more to be fair.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. So what we're doing as part of our first step is we're scanning. So thinking about all the different things that sort of uh you spend your time doing. So from an audio point of view, if you're a Spotify user, they'll be able to give you a roundup as to your kind of summary of listening. Oh, yes. And if you are someone that is really into their music, it could be you might have forgotten by now that nine months ago a song that you absolutely love listening to or a genre that really caught your attention. Okay, um, you might have forgotten about it because memories can fade unless they become sort of part of that ritual.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

From a visual point of view, yeah, going back through your cloud um photo gallery and just looking at that whole year, so from the January, so running it as a uh as a calendar year, yeah, from the January right the way through, it sounds such a simple thing to do, but sometimes just reviewing that year, where was I, what photos was I taken, taking.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And just to uh remind yourself if the last couple of months have been full on and arduous, or something sad has happened, or something not great has happened, you can hearten yourself by reminding yourself that you're more than just the stuff that is happening to you right now. Yeah, there might have been a great day trip that you had 10 months ago, you'd forgotten about it, but like the Stoics would say, you're savouring those memories, and your brain then it just refreshes your perception of the year that you've had.

SPEAKER_01:

That's really cool. I like that. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So we've done our screen time, screen time, which is a bit of data. We've done our audio reflection. Yeah, um, you've got your visual, yeah, um, operational, so scanning through your online and real-world diaries.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

And what I tend to do, and I say diaries because I actually do have three different diaries in my life.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, well, I have two. No, maybe three. Yeah, maybe I'm the same as you, Lau. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And here's a little tool that I did when my life was not in a particularly optimal state. That's probably how I'd summarise it. And I was doing a lot of kind of, you know, hard things at that time. And I remember I sort of sat with myself in this kind of empty bar on New Year's Eve, you know, waiting to collect my child, and oh, it was just all sorts of stuff was going on. Oh. And I sat there and I thought, you know, how am I going to reflect on this year? Because, you know, if someone had even given me a book, it wasn't you, it was someone else. It was a notebook, and the cover on the front was my amazing life, and I couldn't even bear to use that notebook because my life didn't feel like that.

SPEAKER_01:

It wasn't feeling amazing. Yeah, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_00:

It almost felt like it was mocking me, that title on the book. So I kind of thought, what is a real balanced way to review a year? And I thought, I'm gonna call it the Notable Highlights.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So the notable highlights of this year. So going through all of the diaries that you've got and just scanning through for each month, what have been some notable highlights? So you're not necessarily labelling them as good, bad, because actually, as time goes on, sometimes the bad things are the things that enable us to have the courage to courage to think differently. So rather than that's true. Being coded as good or bad, I coded it as notable highlights.

SPEAKER_01:

I like that.

SPEAKER_00:

So an operational point of view, taking it a month at a time and just scanning. What were some notable highlights? You've got your photos that you can tally up as well. You've got what music was I listening to at that time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You've just what you're doing is is you're taking yourself through that memory, through those memories and getting a bit of um getting a bit of a um a kind of a practical overview. Okay. And then from a fun point of view, what has entertained me this year? What have been some things that I've been watching or doing or enjoying? Um, Audible has become my new best friend since someone's recommended it to me a couple of years ago. That's transformed long commutes and journeys, podcasts. So, what have been some of your um the things that you've done to entertain you? Oh, this is that first step is what have I got up to in the year behind me?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, lots and the highlights. I like the fact focusing on the highlights because I suppose it's having a pause with purpose, isn't it? Really? It's um that creating that time to just take that purposeful pause and then let wisdom catch up with us based on what we've experienced. So yeah, I was looking back at Magic Mondays. Obviously, we started them ourselves in back in the beginning of this year where we went, okay, so the whole team get together on every other Magic Monday, we called it, but that's been a real highlight. And then obviously, when I'm looking through my lovely handwritten diary, we've had some amazing venues that we've gone to, you know, like Brooklyn's, and we've gone up north, and we've worked at the an amazing the BBC studio, which is revamped for another client. And we've had been in Gatwick for one of the programs, so down the road, up the country, it's really interesting, isn't it? To um just stop and think about the highlights because it's been some tough moments through this year for me. But looking back at them and you're just picking a month and you go, Oh yeah, that was cool, actually. I forgot about that. Yeah, I like that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and notable highlights, and then it just honours the the difficult and the you know the sad things that have happened. So you're not sort of or you're not kind of putting them in the that was bad box and this is good box. It's yes, that's part of the life that I've experienced, and from all of those things, you would have learned something. So that first step is before I think about what I want to do next year, let me just scan what I've ever been up to this year. And it's one of our known biases is that it can feel like the things that are in your mind right now, it can feel like that um is the is is the identifier for the whole of the year. But actually, it can be quite comforting to look back of oh, actually, I was smiling and laughing back in February, March. Okay, so I'll get there again, even if I don't feel very smiley and laughing now.

SPEAKER_01:

Right now, yeah, and I think that's where I think that's where journaling comes into its own as well, isn't it? Where people journal, or you know, we always suggest that people do a bit of their own reflection with a gale, which is you know, what might one thing I'm grateful for, acknowledged or achieved, improved, or learnt or learning. And that that moment to just stop and journal that it can really help shift where your mind's at and remind yourself that yeah, actually just getting out of bed today, I'm super grateful for that. And that could be the massive win. Um, but I think that's where journaling can really help just remind ourselves of that, I think, which is that pause with a purpose, isn't it? Yeah, yeah, I like that.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'll say the best till last because Deb's our grandparents could have been sitting there journaling. Yes. In the cave cave people days, they were journaling on the walls. I'll tell you what they weren't doing. They weren't able to ask their AI. Hello, Chat GPT. Based on all the requests that I've asked of you in the calendar year of 2025 so far, what would your recommendations be as to what I take from the year?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh law, that's a good one. So I can use Arthur to help me.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Whatever you call, yeah. He'll be whatever you want him to be, Debs. Not Mike. Well, yeah, based on last week with our um amazing um popcast sound engineer James. I think I'm gonna call my um chat GPT um Michael.

SPEAKER_01:

Mike.

SPEAKER_00:

Michael, Michael Oxlon, Mike for short.

SPEAKER_01:

Um oh that's a good shout. And now we've got that, I wonder what it would chuck up at us.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Debs, the prompt to put in to your chat GPT, Arthur, co-pilot, Gemini, whatever it is that you use, is based on my interactions with you in 2025, what would your three insights be?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

And what would your key recommendation for 2026 be?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, are you ready? I'll share my top three based on that. Born ready to um number one, you thrive when you're co-creating, not just delegating. Number two, you are building a body of work, not just delivering work, and you your voice has become a differentiator. It's time to amplify it. And it's saying, establish a repeatable deb spark of the month, um, a confidence corner. And it's saying, in summary, my 2026 North Star is start earlier, scale what's already brilliant, and let your voice lead the way.

SPEAKER_00:

Ooh, love that, Dave.

SPEAKER_01:

What's yours, Laura?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my god, well, um it says, so Laura, so basically, 2025 was you learning how to dance with AI, and 2026 is the year I turn into a performance with sequins and excellent slide decks. That's what it's told me. It obviously knows I need things done in a fun way.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so insight one, I don't use AI like at all, I use it like a co-pilot. And then it's giving me a recommendation for next year. Tone matters and your tone is spark. So again, a recommendation, and you juggle a lot and you use me as your chief of staff. I mean, everything from can you do an Easter egg hunt based on the house and the different rooms in the house? Um, to um, you know, organizing bits and bobs. So I think that's what's what's interesting around this first step is yeah, first step, let's scan, and there are all sorts of data sources, whether it's from an entertaining, a work, operational with your diaries, um, if you're using an AI that's clocking it all, and it's an opportunity just to check in. What has my year been at a glance? And if it helps have a bit of rigour to it, January to December, the benefit of that is it takes it out of what is the here and now and it unlocks a bit of that bias. It's not just what's going on right now, but it's going on not just the immediacy bias, but it's what else is then going on, and it enables you to get a bit of breath of fresh air to your memory, yeah, and to be able to scan and uh remind yourself of the year at large.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that because that's actually around, I suppose, celebrating the chapters that you've lived through the whole the ri the year. So each month is a chapter, and it's making you know, being able to celebrate, I suppose, what did you learn? Um, where did you grow, what did you become? Um, not everything was easy, but every part deserves its acknowledgement. And I think it's that acknowledging yourself is so valuable because we forget that we are good and we do bring some great stuff, and we do um get through traumatic times with a sense of resilience and you know a bit stronger. And I think that's what we always say about resilience, isn't it? Is where you emerge stronger, wiser, and more able. But I think you can only Only understand what the more able is by doing a reflection like you've just done here. Amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And Devs, it'd be great just to get a little insight from you. Sometimes doing these things can prompt some emotion. Definitely. Um, but but I in my humble opinion, if I run away from that emotion, yeah, it's gonna keep knocking on my mind's door. Yes, it will. So to what extent is it an active empowerment then to go back and process and review some of those things? Whereas the pictures, whether you're listening to things, whether you're looking at the things that are in your diary, to what extent does that help us then be able to lighten the load and move on?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think as I say, it's a celebration. If you're looking at it through the mind, your mind's eye of yes, it was so my year's been particularly hard. And if I just stay stuck in that, then I'll just bring myself down. So, yes, acknowledge that, but also look at the wins that have been created throughout it and the moments of joy, and because there will be loads, but because sometimes we always look for the negative, it becomes all-encompassing, whereas actually we have to flip our thinking. We can think positively and optimistically. Um, so therefore, the choice is back with me. Yes, there will be emotion around it, but I think you know, sometimes just letting that emotion flow is part of who you are and the fact that you've lived a life, and it's okay to have that emotional reaction as you're reflecting because it just reminds you how human you are, but it also means if you can carry it forward to say, okay, so what are my wisdoms? What am I going to take with me? Because I can then select and choose what um I suppose how I can reconnect with what matters most. Um, and it gives you an opportunity to just stop and recognise that. You know, I mean, just as you were doing that, I was I did flick through some pictures, and obviously my lovely old dear dad came up, and I did feel a sense of oh wow, um, grief, overwhelm, happiness, joy, a mix of emotions. So it's recognising what matters most to me, and I think it gives you back that empowerment and control to choose what you want to do with it.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely, Debs. It's the salt with the caramel and it's the combination of it, and no matter how clever those AIs get, they do not have the lived experience life that we have. Yes, which is why step one is let me do a deep let me do a deep scan, yeah. Um, and step two, evaluate. Oh, okay. Right now, Debs, with this, you need a big bit of paper. I mean, it depends on how big your hands are, to be frank.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't need that big then, they're not huge. Tiny little hands.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so I've got quite big hands for a lady, Debs. So uh, but it served me well. Um, so we're gonna do an evaluation exercise. Right, step one is scanned. This evaluation exercise, my God, it works a treat if you want to give someone else or a team an opportunity to evaluate who I am, what do I stand for, what does that mean moving forward? Right. So the evaluate is where it's a chance for us, and I know we talk about this all the time, but to refresh your values and purpose and your commitments and joy. So, what we're gonna do step by step is you're gonna first of all lay your hands on your A4 bit of paper.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm laying it on the paper. In a way.

SPEAKER_00:

That's it. With your fingers. Both hands or one hand? Both hands.

SPEAKER_01:

Both hands, right.

SPEAKER_00:

Because you need to make sure that you're able to fit both on that A4 bit of paper.

SPEAKER_01:

I can fit them on.

SPEAKER_00:

And then you draw around one hand first of all. Oh, I'm drawing. And that will probably be neater than the other one that you do because you'll then use your non-dominant hand to draw around the other one.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my goodness, how do you do that? Oh, I've got a big index finger on my other one. Oh, yeah, they look like stumps.

SPEAKER_00:

Alright, fantastic.

SPEAKER_01:

Done.

SPEAKER_00:

Love that. She's available for podcast work as a hand model, but not a video. So we're uh on this. No one else in the world has these hands, Debs. That's true. This is you and only you. Okay, Lord. So we are now going to send a signal out to the world of this is me and this is what I stand for, and I'm in safe hands with myself. Because based on all the experiences these hands have dealt with in the last 12 months, what's important to me? Let me evaluate what are some of the things that are really important that I want to make sure I have at the back of my mind for every onward decision in the year ahead. Right. So on that left hand, in each finger point, uh, the digit space, you're gonna write one of the five values. So if you're lucky enough to be fully digited, so you got five digits in each of those spaces, you're writing the five values, the things that are really important to you. Okay, I'm writing them, Law. Channeling your purpose and values workshops that you've led over the years.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

The benefit of doing this after the context scene setting of the scan is the low moments in our life, the aspects that were tough or the things that really kind of impacted us tend to be when our values shine up.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's very true. Yes. Okay, and that's actually reflective of what I've written this time round. That's different to what I would have written last year.

SPEAKER_00:

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, in the first five. Yeah. Should I share them?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, should I? So I've written health, family, curiosity, kindness, and understanding.

SPEAKER_00:

Fabulous. Fabulous. So those are your values. Now you tell us in your own words, because I know you're brilliant talking about this stuff. What value does it bring someone when you've just paused for a moment and just reset or reacquainted yourself with your values? How does that help someone in the year ahead?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that gives you um a sense of direction and a way of being able to make decisions moving forward. Because if you apply through the lens of those values, if they are aligning with you, then you'll make the right decision. If any of them are out of kilter and you go, that's going to impact, it gives you an opportunity to explore it more and navigate what are some of the things you need to consider or take into account, or be, I suppose, be ready, if that's the right word, to recognise that the decisions you're making are the right decisions for you, based on whatever it is you're you're filtering through that. So it gives us that a decision-making tool, really. It goes, well, is that going to hit my values of kindness, curiosity, family health? Yeah, it is. Okay, I'm more likely to do that then. If any of them are out of kilter, then no, it gives you a chance to reframe it or look at it differently, seek a different perspective from somebody. Um, or it may just be one of your other values will come into play at that point.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it. In that middle in the palm space, in that middle in the palm space, you're going to take a moment and don't worry about perfection, it's just getting some things down there.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, what for me next year, based on what all this year has reminded me of, what's going to be um a real purpose I want to attach to next year? Oh, yeah. So, what for me is gonna be the higher meaning that I want to be having at the back of my mind, even with the most trivial or mundane of tasks, and again just linking it back to the context scene setting we did with the step one scanning. Yes, your purpose can often get uh a light shine upon it in your high moments.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's true. I think because I know what my purpose is and what I was put in this world to do, I'm I'm trying to not to claim that in, but I think it still fits actually around you know, shine from within. Oh yeah, that would be mine because my my normal is enable others to shine from within, but actually I've dropped the enable others to shine, just shine from within.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, okay. Love it, love that. Thanks, Law.

SPEAKER_00:

So that is on the left hand that is um what are gonna be my values that will help me guide and navigate the year ahead. Yep, and what's my purpose? So that is a lot around kind of output, I guess. It's kind of what's inside that's going to contribute to my output.

SPEAKER_01:

Nice.

SPEAKER_00:

None of that output happens unless you've got the energy and the self-belief to be able to do that. So on the remaining hand, the other hand that you've got, um, unless you have three hands, in which case, all are welcome. Um in again, those five digit spaces, yeah. What are your five self-care commitments? Could be TNT, tiny.

SPEAKER_01:

Tiny things. What would they be? Okay, I need to reflect on this one. So it would make a difference.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Five self-care commitments. So, in order to stay true to your values, get the energy you're required to keep on purpose. You can't keep filling from an empty cup. That's can't you can't keep pouring from an empty cup. Yeah, make sure I get that right. You can't keep pouring from an empty cup. So, on the other hand, how am I going to look after myself so I can keep doing all those things?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I've got them. And I've literally just done them off the top of my head as you've been talking, Laura.

SPEAKER_00:

Go on, inspire us, Dev.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. So, mine are rest, exercise, pause throughout the day, ask for support, and trust the process.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, love it. That would be mine. Love it. Yeah. And then in that palm space, yes, genuinely, what are you most looking forward to next year? What's something that's on your radar, and you think, do you know what? I'm quite looking forward to that. Growth. Oh, lovely. Yeah, dumb. Growth. Yep. So, what that then means is as we're doing the right thing on our left hand and we're working to values and we're staying on purpose, all of that is dependent on your level of energy and wellness to be able to do that. So, to kind of do that lovely namaste of on the one hand, this is the output on the other hand, this is my input to keep me um to keep me in that kind of space.

SPEAKER_02:

Nice.

SPEAKER_00:

What might that be? And just amongst all of the doing, and I know there's loads of people we know at the moment who've had some pretty tough years, you know. I mean, there's tough stuff, tough stuff that's happened. So, amongst all of that, what's something that I'm gonna hold on to just for me, that I'm genuinely looking forward to for next year? Yes, this exercise is a really good one to do with the team. Yeah, I love that look, and then a nice little photo shot at the end. Everyone's standing there holding their safe hands uh picture up, get the team all there. You can't help but feel bonded. No one has to share any specifics. Yeah, you could write in code, but that action of us as a team sitting and what's important, our values and per my values and purpose, how am I going to look after myself and what am I most looking forward to next year? That's a really nice exercise to do as a team. Yeah, that is. Evaluate who are we and what has this year taught us, and what does that mean then to be able to process and learn from that?

SPEAKER_01:

I love that because that's the bit around letting go of the expectations, if you like, that weren't truly yours in the first place. That's a bit around release the shoulds, and it's looking at what do I want to carry forward, but also um what can I gratefully leave behind? So I think that's release the shoulds, yeah. You know, because we get a choice so we can reset it. I like that with that. I suppose that compassionate choice to reset, and I think that's that's it, isn't it? What choices are you gonna give yourself? Yeah, I like that.

SPEAKER_00:

Beautiful. So step three, we've done our scan, we have done our evaluate, we're now gonna do our plan.

SPEAKER_01:

Planning, right? Do I need another eye? Another piece of paper of this law, I've got it.

SPEAKER_00:

Strap in, Debs.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. Now I know you've heard this a hundred times, so put your axe a prize face on.

SPEAKER_01:

I will. I'm refreshing, bring new eyes, I'm bringing beginners' mind.

SPEAKER_00:

It's got boxes.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, go.

SPEAKER_00:

There are six of them.

SPEAKER_01:

Six boxes, right.

SPEAKER_00:

That's right, Debs. It's a six box play.

SPEAKER_02:

It's the six box play.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so there's a lovely tool out there called the Wheel of Life, I think. Is that right? And it's the eight sort of spokes. So we ain't got time for eight Debs. We're gonna do six.

SPEAKER_01:

Six, straight in, two lots of three, right up your street. Right up my street.

SPEAKER_00:

So um on that bit of paper, you're gonna on another bit of paper, you're gonna have uh um a self-drawn box and you're gonna split it into six chunks. Right. Um the top three are um for you, and then the bottom three are um other stuff. Other, right. And it's your opportunity to label those six boxes in the six relevant life areas for you right now. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

So for me at the top, okay. Um then for others in the next bit.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Now other stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

Actually, Debs, oh, I've never joined the dots up like this. You know those, you know those five values?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

I reckon that could work quite well as the as five of the short box titles.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they could. Because I've just written in mine, which is what I wrote on my little hands, was health, um, health, business, and rest, which was part of both a bit of them. But actually, yeah, I've then written being still being curious, so we could do. Yeah. But others is family, so family comes into that as well. Yeah, okay. So that would work.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and what we're basically doing in the planning tool is we're taking that lofty up there ideal of these are the ideals into the what does this mean everyday practical?

SPEAKER_01:

Everyday, right? I've got you. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Actually, having never done it in this precise order, this is nice, actually, is the link to the uh the uh sort of live one I'll be doing with a real life human. Well, obviously, your real life human.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm real, thanks, Lau. I don't think I'm a robot yet.

SPEAKER_00:

Um that could work quite well. Of you take your um, yeah, you take your values, and then what does that then mean in terms of how what's that mean in terms of an action um on a kind of a month-by-month basis? So the purpose of the six box plan, how I use it on myself and others, yes, is you set a time frame on it, so it could be six months or it could be three months, so it's not forever. So it's not forever, and then it takes the pressure off it having to be a brand new you, and within each of those boxes, you're right, three to five bullet points of things that you either want to start doing, stop doing, or continue doing.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I like the start, stop, continue.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, and you set the tone as to what it is, but they're not more things to do to make add pressure. You might be doing it already, but it's that kind of maintain. So, what do I want to do to either add on, tweak a little bit, or to maintain it? So, for example, if sitting down as a family once a week eating together is a part of that core, that that's you living your values, yeah, then it just then means you can just check in with yourself. So you can just check in maybe on a monthly basis. Actually, I'll be doing that. Am I making the time for that? Because if you know that is a thing that you really value, then um it's important to then sort of catch it and then you can course correct. So the purpose of the six box plan is it takes all of that scanning and what life has taught you, you've had some time to process it, you're evaluating actually well, what is important to me, values and purpose, and then how am I going to look after myself. And then the third bit planning is okay, so what is it that I want to to focus on? And there's something quite um there's something quite um empowering by removing forever, so it's not for the whole year, yes, it's just for a limited amount of time, yeah, and then you can review in a bit of time, you know, actually, does that work for me or is it making me feel more pressured, or how might that be? And then you use your phone to give yourself a reminder to check in and let's bring the 2026 spin onto it. I mean, you know, if they're picking this up from the wastelands of 2036, we can see whether it backfired or not. But what if you were to feed in to your um AI? Yeah, this is my intention for the year ahead, these are the things I value, these are the three questions I'd like you to ask me at various intervals.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, wow, and that would schedule it as well, wouldn't it? Yeah, that's really powerful. Okay. That would take me a while because I haven't done that last bit, but I will definitely do that and all and see what it chucks back at me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So these are simple things. Yeah. But sometimes the simple things in this incredibly busy, noisy world that is constantly trying to sell us stuff is sometimes taking that empowering moment of let me reset and refresh. Yes, slow down to go faster, which was the whole focus of this series.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it was.

SPEAKER_00:

We looked at practical tips in the first episode about how to keep centred when you're juggling lots of stuff. Last week looked at, well, how do I then ensure that I am focusing on the things that are kind of really important and how I kind of look after myself? And then this one has then been around actually how let me take a bit of a bigger perspective. And this goes out to anyone who feels like it's been a tough year. If you're finding yourself using phrases like, I'll be glad when this year's done, yes, then actually just reveal just just evaluating. Time is precious, and some of those things that have happened to us are a real reminder of that. And rather than writing the year off, yeah, we're evaluating that year by scanning and doing a deep scan. It's not just what's happened recently, there's other stuff that's gone on. The highs and the lows are the notable moments.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Evaluating what do I want and how am I going to look after myself? And then from a planning point of view, it's not a to-do list, it's just a little course correction. So you can resteer if you check in, just to check that you are building the growth and not not resentment of feeling like you're not, you know, kind of doing the is what you want to do.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my god, I love that because it is it is compassion for self, isn't it? Really, it's being kind to yourself and enabling you to think about what you focus on that's going to bring you that level of excitement. And that as we talked about last time, was around what's going to nourish you. So it feels like more of an expansion, not pressure. Um, and I suppose that's the energy that you want to carry forward into into next year and beyond, really. So that I love the six box, the now we always talk about now, near future. Oh, nice. So, you know, it could be that the now can be your time frame, the near in the future state. Um, but it gives you a chance to stop and reflect, and because it shows you're worth it. So, yeah, it's it feels all of those great things about recognising just how amazing you are as a human, just what you are capable of doing, and and just reminds you of who you are. And I think we don't do that enough. So I love that.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it, Debs. Love it. So I've done a bit of a share the secret. So this is a great one to listen to if you've got a friend who has had a tough year, but you think it'll be good for them and healthy for them to just take stock. Um, Debs, what would your call to action be? Our final one of this calendar year. Oh my god. We've got our sparkles on, we're going sequenced. What would be your final call to action?

SPEAKER_01:

My final call to action would be put your North Stars, your sparkly moments, whatever you want to call them and your values back at the heart of your decision making for the coming year to remind yourself of who you are, what you bring, and how capable you are. Um and don't let that inner critic take over. Challenge it as we would go. I would do that. So keep sparkly.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, love it, Dave.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. I love that exercise, Lore. Thank you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, well, thank you so much for being so kind of you know open and sort of going with the flow and AIs and all those soft, you know, entertainment resources that we use, they're learning about us. But it is a human act of we're master of our domain in our own. Absolutely. So be able to just sit there quietly and do a bit of reviewing and you call the shots. You know, it's not just consuming.

SPEAKER_01:

It's your choice, right?

SPEAKER_00:

External. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Compassionate choice. Be bold with that.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Be bold.

SPEAKER_00:

So Debs. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01:

Who would have thought, Law? Where has that year gone? We've had some amazing topics, guests. We've had a laugh along the way. We've like pulled things out of the hat which we never believed we could with conversations. And yeah, just the impact as also from the feedback that we've had from people throughout the year. I think it's just been incredible. So I think, as you said, whilst we started back in 2020 with this idea of offering out, you know, guidance, support, our generosity, if you like, with things that happen. Um, yeah, and I just think it's uh such an amazing thing to hear people talking about it and going, I like that episode. And you go, Oh, it's someone we did have one listener on that cruise ship going around. On that cruise ship going around all the different things, yeah. So knowing that it's there, and I think that it's just been a joy to be able to flex and adapt to the titles and what's going on in the world and and bring a bit of you know realism and practicality to it, which is what we're all about, right, Laura?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely, Debs. Yes, and uh thank you so much. It's been as always a joy on this roller coaster ride and bring on the next year.

SPEAKER_01:

Bring it on, we're ready. Bring it on, yeah, celebrate with joy.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Love you lots, Lau. Here's to next year.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, bring it on. Love you lots, love you.

SPEAKER_02:

Bye.

SPEAKER_00:

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