“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” ― Margaret J. Wheatley

Each month, I set aside a chunk of time to reflect on the previous month: memorable moments, lessons I learned, how I spent my time, how I’m different, who/what I’m grateful for, improvements for next month, and goals to work toward. I want to be more intentional in my personal development this year, and posting each month serves as a way to help keep me accountable.

THREE LESSONS I LEARNED THIS PAST MONTH:

• Sometimes the best plan is to ditch the plan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely a planner. But I try not to get too tied to how those plans are lived out. If I always stuck to the plan, I’d miss out on many wonderful opportunities I hadn’t counted on or planned for.
• Read stories that inspire you. During my reading challenge, I’ve read stories of women who’ve done some incredible things (wild, Eat Pray Love, and Tracks are my favorites so far). Their stories have encouraged me to dream big and realize my only limit is myself.
• Don’t be afraid to take risks and stand up for yourself. My company has been going through some reorganizing and growing pains. Especially in a work situation, it can be really tempting for me to just keep my head down and bite my tongue. But, as I’ve learned, there can be benefit in speaking up in honesty, especially if you do inherently get a say.

What big lessons have you learned over the past month? Share in the comments below!