Today is the last day of my 10 days of self-evaluation / reflection, compliments of borrowing parts of a tradition from Rosh Hashanah.  Answering a different question each night has been a good experience for me.  I was drawn to trying this out because I thought that the tradition of spending 10 days deliberately and thoughtfully evaluating the last year and my actions over the last year was a worthy undertaking.  I imagine that in Jewish tradition that this time spent in reflection helps prepare the person for today, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  I know that after the last 10 days, I am much more cognizant of the actions for which I should make amends.

Are you interested in trying it?  No need to wait until next year, but if you want to, sign up like I did with the website 10Q, and next year during this time, you’ll get the questions and can answer them, anonymously if you want.

And on the 10th day you can answer this question:

Question:  When September 2015 rolls around and you receive your answers to your 10Q questions, how do you think you’ll feel? What do you think/hope might be different about your life and where you’re at as a result of thinking about and answering these questions?

I think my first reaction will be pleasure.  I will be glad that I took the time to answer the questions and document my thoughts and feelings right now, especially since this is such a changeable year for me.  There are a few years that I regard as important years in my life.  Not just important days, or weeks, or moments, but years that went far in defining the me that exists now.  My sophomore year in college, the year that I bought my first house, the year that I turned 35, and now, this year.  These years, for very different reasons, challenged me and led me to make permanent shifts and developments as a person, or an employee, or as friend or partner.  These years were not business as usual years.  This year will be one of “these years”.

And for that I am glad that I took the last 10 days to answer 10 questions.

As for my expectations of where I’ll be next year, I am actually trying to keep them low.  Ok, low may be the wrong word, because I don’t mean that I think that there won’t be any forward movement or positive things in my life.  I think that what I mean is that I’m keeping my expectations realistic.  I mentioned in one of my earlier answers that some of the best advice I have received over the last three to four months has been “you don’t have to have it all figured out right now.”  So, I’m leaving my options open and my future a little more up in the air.

Which is exciting…because while I have been reminded by answering these questions that sometimes the worst does happen, our fears do come true, the bottom does drops out, the beautiful, wonderful, magnificent truth is that I can handle it.

Next year — who knows where I’ll be?  I hope that I’m learning more, healthier, have more friends, trying something new, still laughing.