action – Ruthann M. Wilson

Harnessing the Power of Questions for Personal Growth

A regular practice of asking and answering powerful questions is a great way to keep yourself open to possibility and moving forward; however, not all questions are created equal. For example, asking yourself “Why am I stuck?” will yield a lot of reasons as to why you’re stuck. Important to know, but it doesn’t move you to action. A powerful follow-up question would be “What is the best thing I can do right now to move forward?” This two-step line of questioning yields insight as well as creativity and action.

The word power is defined as influence. A powerful question will influence how you think and feel and motivate you to action. Asking and answering questions can be easily incorporated into your journal practice OR simply use a notebook to begin this practice. There is power in putting your questions and answers in writing.

If you need support in creating a journal practice, check out my video about creating a journal practice.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Spring Reflections: Awakening, Clearing, and New Beginnings

Each season brings gifts and opportunities for growth as we journey through the year. Spring is a season of hope and possibility.

On a personal level, spring invites us to start fresh, be hopeful, joyful, creative, and open to possibility. There are many ways to embrace the season: cleaning and clearing clutter, starting a new project, setting meaningful goals, and reconnecting with nature and the planet we call home, just to name a few.

The spring ritual of cleaning and clearing out clutter is a great way to transition into the energy of the season to make room for new beginnings, new opportunities, and new blessings to come into your life. A great place to start is to clean and clear your home/space of:

Things you no longer need or use.
Things you no longer feel connected to.
Things that keep you stuck/anchored in the past.

Begin a new project

Life is always inviting us to reach, stretch, and grow. Initiate a new beginning by starting a new project or setting a new goal that will help you stretch and grow. Stay open to possibility and be willing to leave your comfort zone.

Deepen your sense of connection to nature and the planet that is our home.

Spend time in natural settings and experience the beauty of the season as it unfolds.
Plant and nurture seeds/seedlings and watch them grow.
Make direct contact with the earth. Put your bare feet on the ground, sit or lay down on the ground.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. You can receive notifications of new posts by clicking on the follow button or click here to join my mailing list to receive email updates. If you know someone that might benefit from reading this post, please share it by clicking on a share button below.

All the best,
Ruthann

Spring Reflections: Awakening, Clearing, and New Beginnings

Each season brings gifts and opportunities for growth as we journey through the year. Spring invites us to start fresh, be hopeful, joyful, creative, and open to possibility.

Spring rituals of cleaning and clearing out clutter are great ways to transition into the energy of the season and make room for new beginnings, new opportunities, and new blessings to come into your life.

Questions for reflection:

In what area of your life do you feel a desire to start fresh/begin anew?
What steps can you take to make room for something new?

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All the best,

Ruthann

Discover Your Passion: Steps to Pursue What You Love

Passion: a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

What do you have a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement about? Are you pursuing your passion? If not, why not?

In the busyness of life, it’s easy to operate on autopilot and not make time to pursue the things that we love and feel passionate about.

Passion comes from within. If you’re not sure what you are passionate about, create time to reflect on areas of interest or things that you enjoyed doing when you were younger. Start doing the things that you have identified to see if they still resonate with you. If you were interested in nature—start spending time in nature. If you were interested in certain causes—volunteer your time. If you enjoyed dancing—start dancing. If you enjoyed writing—start writing. If you enjoyed hiking—start hiking. You don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect to pursue what you love. Once you are clear on your passion, pursue it and see where it leads you.

If you say you are passionate about something that you are not pursuing, explore what is holding you back. Don’t let fear keep you from pursuing what you love. Commit to taking action even if it’s only small steps. Over time, small steps can have a big effect.

Give yourself time and permission to pursue your passion.

Question for reflection

What is one thing you can do this week to pursue your passion?

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All the best,
Ruthann

Creating Change in Your Life: Clarity, Commitment, Courage

In this video, I highlight the power of clarity, commitment, and courage in creating change in your life.

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All the best,
Ruthann

Embrace Change: Be Willing to Change in Order to Grow

“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked. “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

—Hope for the Flowers

I recently re-read a wonderful book titled Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus.

It is a light-hearted story about two caterpillars (Stripe and Yellow) and their journey to become butterflies. It has become one of my favorite gift books about trust and transition/letting go.

The process of becoming a butterfly begins when the caterpillar responds to an internal urge to grow and evolve. In order to fulfill its potential, the caterpillar must give up its life as a caterpillar to be reborn and serve a different purpose. As winged creatures, butterflies provide hope for the flowers’ reproduction through the process of pollination.

The journey of the two butterflies in Hope for the Flowers is a great reminder that we too must trust our inner urges/promptings to grow and evolve in order to reach our full potential.

This week, I invite you to pay attention to inner urges/promptings to do something different/make changes in your life and be willing to step out of your comfort zone.

One of the best ways to step out of your comfort zone is to set a goal and begin to take action. Fear of the unknown will keep you stuck until you put fear in its place through action.

Life is a series of endings and beginnings for the purpose of growth and evolution. Our challenge is to trust the process and be willing to let go of the ‘old version’ of ourselves in order to grow.

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All the best,

Ruthann

Weekly Reflection for Personal Growth

Reflection is a powerful way to learn, grow, and keep moving forward. Taking time over the weekend to look back and look forward to the week ahead will help you keep your life in progress and your goals on track. Small changes on a weekly basis can have a tremendous effect on your life.

Make a commitment to spend 15-20 minutes over the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) to first, look back and then, look forward. I have outlined a few questions, best answered in writing, to help get you started.

Look back

What did I accomplish?
What didn’t I accomplish that I wanted to? Why?
What did I learn?
How did I grow?
What’s working/going well?
What’s not working/not going well? What can I do to shift or neutralize what’s not working?
Who or what was my greatest blessing?
How was I a blessing to others?

Look forward

What are my top priorities for the week ahead? Why are these priorities?
Based on my review of last week, what might I do differently in the coming week?

Use the power of reflection on a weekly basis to help you learn, grow, and keep moving forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you know someone who might benefit from reading it, please share by clicking on a share button below.

All the best,
Ruthann

How to Truly Apologize: Steps for Authentic Repair and Growth

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”

—Benjamin Franklin

The best way to say “I am sorry” is to say “I am sorry” and support your words with action. Anytime we say “I am sorry, but…” we have cancelled the apology and shifted into defense mode. What typically follows the word ‘but’ is an excuse for what we said, did, or didn’t do.

“I am sorry, but you made me angry.”
“I am sorry, but it wasn’t really my fault”.
“I am sorry, but [fill in the blank].”

Extending an apology to someone we have hurt or offended is an act of humility and a way of acknowledging the other person’s feelings and the importance of the relationship.

If you are someone that typically adds ‘but’ to your apologies, ask yourself why? Use what you learn through self-reflection to grow. Be clear as to why you are apologizing and extend your apology from the heart—an excuse free zone.

Take Action

Is there a relationship in your life that could benefit from an excuse free apology? If yes, take action, extend your apology and support your words with action.

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All the best,
Ruthann

Time Management Strategies: How to Make the Most of Your Time

Time is one of your most valuable resources and it is inextricably linked to your life. The way you spend your time is the way you spend your life. Spend it wisely. 🙂

Here are a few strategies that can help you make the most of your time:

Know your purpose/mission and let it be your guide.
Set clear, purpose-driven goals.
Plan and prioritize tasks related to your goals.
Create a schedule (daily/weekly/monthly) and stick to it.
Focus on results/getting things done; not on being busy.
Be willing to say no to people and activities that are not aligned with your values, vision, and goals.

The key to making the most of your time is to stay laser focused on what matters most in your life.

Strong time management isn’t just about life balance; it’s also a cornerstone of career success. When you align your time with your mission and goals, you create clarity and focus that carry into your work and professional growth.

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All the best,
Ruthann

SMART Goals: Bring Your Desires to Life

This post was inspired by a mini-workshop that I recently conducted on creating goals, in particular, SMART* goals. The acronym SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.

Setting goals is a way to bring your desires to life. Goals enable you to go from hoping and wishing to manifesting what you truly desire.

If you work in a business setting, you are more than likely used to setting and achieving goals related to your role/position. However, most people don’t have personal goals (e.g., career, relationship, financial, etc.) that are specific and written down. It is estimated that only 3% of people have written goals.

Time is one of your most precious resources. The SMART approach is a great way to create written goals and structure your time.

Questions to consider as you create each goal:

Specific: What exactly will you accomplish?
Measurable: How will you know when you have reached your goal?
Attainable: Is your goal challenging, yet attainable?
Relevant: Is your goal clearly linked to your values/what matters most?
Time-bound: By what date will you accomplish your goal?

If there is something that you are hoping/wishing to accomplish “someday”, make today the day you give it a deadline, create a plan, and put your plan into action.

Consider using images and/or symbols as visual reminders of your desired outcome (click here to see my post on vision boards).

Work toward your goals, but don’t be attached to a particular outcome. Being attached to a specific outcome can get in the way of you receiving an even bigger blessing than the one you had in mind.

SMART goals aren’t just a personal practice — they’re also a cornerstone of career success. When you set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time‑bound goals, you create clarity and focus that drive both professional achievement and personal fulfillment.

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All the best,
Ruthann

*SMART concept created by George Doran