After taking the summer off from my studies and blogging (I have still been working full time), I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the term ahead. The trouble with having such a long break is that I feel like I have lost a lot of momentum; I have not blogged in 4 and a half months and it is truly showing in my flow and I have a slightly scrambled thought process. I can clearly see now that reflection (whether that involves taking some time alone to think/blog or talking to my friends and peers) is an activity just like any other - it needs to be practised.
Reflection needs practice!
I have mentioned in previous blogs that I, like many others, have found a huge benefit from reflection and, in particular, blogging. This technique of documenting my thoughts really helps to achieve a tidy mind - I imagine it like brushing out matted hair, where each hair represents a different motive or idea. Only then I can start to generate new ideas, ask clear questions, address my worries and form a concrete strategies in order to achieve my goals. It's true because I have experienced it over the last two modules. So, as I embark on this inquiry over the next few weeks, I will be focusing on reestablishing my reflective skills through this blog. This will not only become a blog for my studies but a place to share my personal journey through this inquiry and how this will aid my professional development centred around my practice; this will form my reflective, learning journal.
What advice can you offer for writing a journal?
The benefit of a journal, however, does not stop with the process of writing... This weekend I will be taking the time to reread all of my previous work and blog posts from the beginning of module 1 through to the end of module 2. Refreshing my memory of my old thoughts should provide additional guidance when taking on this inquiry. It will allow me to reconnect with my journey so far and realign the possible pathways that I have yet to come.
Reread, refresh, reconnect and reflect
Rereading is just what we do during the term - to go back over what we have already written so we know where to go next - so why not apply this tool to on a bigger scale at a new beginning? Maybe beginning is the wrong word to use... I am not 'starting again'; I am merely continuing from where I left off on May 1st. Nevertheless, now is a perfect time to reflect, so looking back is what I need to do and soon I will regain my flow and momentum.
As I take a step forward into the term ahead, I will know where I currently stand and my expectations of the next few months.
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