German Flores
“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Ranulph Fiennes
the first to completely cross Antarctica on foot
Last Six Months Reflection Template
I try to reflect how I’m living my life every six months, here are some questions I use to help me. The questions I use come from Tim Elmore @TimElmore and Camille Fournier @skamille, thank you.
Questions
- What are my fondest memories of the last six months?
- What were the most fun times I had?
- Who did I meet, who is now in my life?
- What were the “big projects” I completed?
- What am I most proud of?
- In what area(s) of my life did I make some progress?
- What did I do that completely surprised me and was unexpected to me?
- Who did I help?
- What did I experimented with?
- What is the biggest lesson I faced and what did I get from it?
- What were the defining moments during the last six months?
- What emotion caused me to grow? (e.g., Courage? Faith?)
- What emotion was I unafraid to feel? (e.g., Fear? Sadness?)
- What did I procrastinate on and fail to get done?
- What books and mentors had the most significant impact on me? Why?
- Am I closer to my friends and family from my activities this year?
- What will be my biggest goals as I move forward into YYYY?
- Where did I neglect to live up to the standards I set for myself?
- What am I committed to doing in the next six months? What would I
do if I only had a short amount of time left to make an impact? - What goals do I have or know for the next six months?
- Am I growing at work? Am I a linchpin at work? (The Linchpin is an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create and make things happen.)
- What have I said NO to? What have I said YES to?
- What advice would I give myself for the coming six-months/year?
Action
After I answer the questions I start planning the next six months, turn every desire into an action that I can follow-up on or add to a calendar. I use Omnifocus, calendar, and a note pad to move things forward and keep myself focused.
Resources
Books I Read in 2018
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick, Philip K., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I’ve been enjoying the Blade Runner universe, this year I saw Blade Runner 2049 and read the book the movies originate. Good writing in the book, strongly recommend if you enjoy science fiction.
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups Coyle, Daniel, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An insightful read for anyone helping teams work better, full of information on how to create a team environment.
Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity Scott, Kim Malone, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read to level up in the manager role.
Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders Marquet, David, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The favorite phrase “Leader-leader,” a recommendation from Steve Pasek that has provided value every day in how I support software development teams.
Free: The Future of a Radical Price Anderson, Chris, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Nothing is free.
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) Jemisin, N.K., ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Next fascinating world after the games of Thrones world.
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters Meeker, Meg, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Solid guidance, disregard the religious content if that’s not your thing.
The Girl on the Train Hawkins, Paula, ⭐⭐⭐
Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) Herbert, Frank, ⭐⭐⭐
Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2) Corey, James S.A., ⭐⭐⭐
Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6) Butcher, Jim, ⭐⭐⭐
Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude Kethledge, Raymond M., ⭐⭐⭐
Altered Carbon (Takeshi Kovacs, #1) Morgan, Richard K., ⭐⭐⭐
Stay Hungry Maniscalco, Sebastian, ⭐⭐⭐
Woken Furies (Takeshi Kovacs, #3) Morgan, Richard K., ⭐⭐⭐
Legend:
- 5 ⭐, it changed how I view the world or gave me immense pleasure, strongly recommend
- 4 ⭐, good read, recommend
- 3 ⭐, okay read
- 2 ⭐, not such a great book
- 1 ⭐, for some unknown reason I finished this book, and I feel like I wasted my time
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