Reflection Hikes, Cheerleaders, + The Notebook That's Changing My Life

If you're sometimes a bit too hard on yourself, looking for a 2-minute way to bring more intention into your days, or simply seeking a use for that spare notebook, today's article is for you!

One of my longest-standing birthday traditions is what I call my Reflection Hike. Sometime during the week before my birthday, which falls almost smack-dab in the middle of the year, I gather up my list of reflection questions and a journal and take myself on a good hike. Almost like a walking meditation, I spend the hike pondering over the past year - and more specifically the first half of the current calendar year - then find a park bench or picnic table and capture as much as I can on paper.

A scene from my 2026 Reflection Hike.

My Reflection Hike this year began like any other: My typical list of questions, my sunscreened self, my commitment to bringing my mind back to the topic at hand whenever it began to wander.

During this hike, however, I experienced something new - something that hasn’t occurred in previous years of this birthday tradition. Instead of reflecting on all the various life categories, highlight moments, or my top-tier Bold Goals and how they’re going, my mind almost instantly went toward one thought which then stayed top-of-mind the rest of the hike.

I blame/credit this little guy for the unexpected experience:

Who’s Your Cheerleader?

First, a bit of background.

At some point last year, I found myself in a bit of a woe-is-me moment. Various factors contributed to this which I don’t need to get into here, but suffice it to say that I was feeling uncertain, unclear, and somewhat depleted. On one particularly challenging day, I distinctly remember telling a friend that I sometimes wished I had a supervisor who would periodically tell me I was doing a good job.

Now, this is certainly not an uncommon wish in the world of work. Lack of acknowledgment, recognition, and/or feedback is frequently identified as a workplace issue.

But as you may know, I have owned my coaching firm for 23 years - so I essentially am my supervisor.

Apparently I wasn’t cheering for myself.

If you’re an achiever, this might resonate with you, too. We often thrive on goals and milestones and successes and wins, to the extent that we don’t take a moment to acknowledge one before we move on to the next. It may make us productive, yes, but doesn’t always provide a sense of accomplishment or fuel us with celebratory delight.

So I decided I would try to become my own cheerleader. Instead of simply breezing past the little daily wins, I would find a way to somehow acknowledge them on a more consistent basis.

Enter this little 3x5” notebook that, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, is changing my life.

Excited For / Proud Of

At the start of the year, I added this teensy little notebook into my planner stack, and what a difference it has made!

First, the sticker I put on the cover just makes me chuckle every time. It took me a moment to get the joke but now makes my little word-nerd/grammar-loving heart ridiculously happy every time I pick this up.

But even more than the cute packaging is the daily practice that accompanies it. This literally takes me less than a minute or two each day and is having a profound effect on my mindset and sense of self.

I write out the dates in advance, usually a month or two at a time, allowing two lines for every one day.

Then, each morning, on the first line I write one thing I am excited for/looking forward to that day.

Every once in a while this is something grand or a long time in the making - heading off on a vacation or attending a book festival, for instance. More often than not, however, it’s the ‘small stuff’ - moments or activities like:

• The coffee date with a friend I haven’t seen in a while.

• The new cross-stitch pattern I will begin that evening.

• Connecting with other coaches at a local restaurant.

• Repotting some plants that are absolutely flourishing.

Even if there’s nothing of note on my calendar that day, I don’t skip this practice. Sometimes I’m excited to finish a project, to click ‘publish’ on an article, or to be on the other side of a task I don’t really want - but need - to do.

This addition to my morning practice reminds me how every day holds something to look forward to, to be excited about. Even the busy, hectic, or hard days. And if I can’t think of something to look forward to, that’s a prompt to create something - a Dutch Letter latte from my local coffee shop or a brief walk in the fresh air with a new podcast episode, for instance.

Then each evening, on the second daily line, I record something for which I am proud of myself that day.

Now, here’s the thing: You would likely look at my ‘proud of’ moments (though please don’t) and think, ‘Really?! That’s what you’re proud of??’ My proud-of-myself moments are often so teeny-tiny - but I’m realizing something surprising and delightful:

That’s the point.

They still count.

And until I began this daily practice of acknowledging them, I was often completely overlooking them. No wonder I had been feeling a bit depleted and woe-is-me. I was basically only giving myself credit for the ‘big’ things, which tend to be fewer and farther between, but not recognizing all the times I made that difficult phone call, or learned something new, or took the brisk 3-mile walk - even though I felt I didn’t have time - and was so much better for it.

Or the times I finally changed something that was no longer working rather than just thinking about changing it. Or when I made a decision I had been waffling over. Or when I kept my cool in a situation that previously would have derailed my day. Or when I took a break and spent an afternoon at the local botanical gardens for no reason whatsoever other than joy.

(Can you tell I have my little notebook open in front of me as I write this?)

The Tricks

Back to the Reflection Hike that opened this article. As I mentioned, rather than pondering a million different ideas and life areas as per usual, one thought came to mind early on and really stayed with me the entire hike and journaling session. That thought:

I am proud of what’s behind me and excited for what’s ahead.

It may sound so basic; this whole article may sound so basic. Or self-indulgent. I don’t know. But that statement - that realization - felt deeply profound in the moment, and has continued to buoy me ever since.

It’s easy to feel proud of ourselves when we have a big obvious win. You completed the marathon! You earned the degree! You got the promotion! Hip-hip-hooray!

But what about the times when we don’t have an obvious win? Or when we don’t actually achieve our goal, even though we put incredible effort into it? When we do something that feels courageous to us that no one else will ever know or care about? Or when we experience a loss that knocks the wind right out of us, making it difficult to focus on day-to-day tasks let alone accomplish a huge project or massive goal, and yet we carry on?

That is where this tiny, perhaps silly, yet somehow powerfully poignant notebook has come in. I haven’t earned a degree or run a marathon this year (yet, anyway!), but each time I pick up this notebook, I’m reminded of numerous moments that I have experienced, and all that’s yet to come. And this has truly been changing my mindset and outlook in countless and unexpected ways.

If you decide to start something similar, here are a few tricks I have found helpful that you might consider, too:

• Keep it to one line per entry. This limit, along with the tiny size of my notebook, makes it doable (and seem less daunting) each day.

• Don’t think too much. I typically write the first thing that comes to mind, no matter how minuscule it seems.

• Title it meaningfully. Specifically using the words “I am excited for” and “I am proud of myself for” have pinpointed something meaningful in this season for me; feel free to use these words yourself, or title it with what speaks to you.

• Consider it a practice. There’s really nothing to ‘get right’ here. Try it for a couple of weeks and see what you notice.

• Remember it’s for your eyes only. Who cares what others would think? This is for you.

I intend to continue this practice through the end of the year, so if you’re interested, I can recap the overall experience then. For now, I am surprised - delightfully so - at the impact this is making in my life.

So, what are you excited for today?

What are you proud of yourself for today?

Make note of it. Refer back to it as needed. And remember that growth is growth, and even the tiny things are worth acknowledging. As Annie Dillard so profoundly wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

What if we spend our days celebrating the small stuff?

And what if, when it comes down to it, the small stuff really does turn out to be the big stuff?

****************

Thank you for being here! If you’d like to work together, you can explore my services here. And feel free to visit the Reading And Purpose bookshop.org store - any purchases through my links may earn me a small commission (at no extra cost to you) while also supporting independent bookstores. Hooray!