Your Zen minute: What is done is done. Energy spent worrying about things that have already happened is energy wasted. Learn what you can from the past and apply those lessons to the days and weeks to come — without looking back.

Welcome to Week 2 of “Attitude for Gratitude.” Last week, we took a walk down Memory Lane 2020, taking note of the events and people we encountered. Did you find you had more successes than you realized? Or were there some real challenges? The key is to really look at these things to see how, in all honesty, they impacted you.

This week will be about mindful introspection. Why is introspection so important? Research has shown that we think more than 50,000 thoughts per day, of which, on average, more than half are negative and more than 90 percent are just repeats from the day before. If you don’t make the time and effort to refocus your mind on the positive through mindful introspection, you are denying yourself the opportunity to grow. Expanding your ability to understand yourself at a deeper level takes the power away from the distractions of our fast-paced life. This gives you a better chance to refocus on fulfillment.

Taking a deeper look at our values and choices is healthy, but remember to do it in a mindful way. That is: looking at things without judgment, seeing events and choices simply as they were. Ask yourself more “what” questions than “why.” “Why” questions can highlight our limitations and negativity, while the “what” questions help keep us curious and more positive. Be kind to yourself, but be honest. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Am I taking anything for granted?
• Am I living true to myself?
• What worries me most about the future?
• What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life?
• When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?
• The words I’d like to live by are…
• What do I need to change about myself?
• What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?
• I feel most energized when…
• What do I want most in life?

Take some time to apply some of these questions to your year in review. Maybe other ideas or questions will evolve from that. Go for it! Remember – you are the only one seeing your comments. Be as honest as you can. The time you invest here will give you a great start to a new you in the new year.

And: We have something very fun coming up to get that New You headed in the right direction in the new year. Stay tuned for more on that!

Thanks for joining us for this month’s challenge! If you do any of the exercises, we would love to hear how they went at shorelines@northshorebank.com. —Pat Ingelse, AVP, PMP