personal growth – 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

Embrace Possibility: 3 Transformative Mindset Shifts

Let’s shift & move forward.

Instead of saying ‘My dream is impossible,’ affirm: ‘All things are divinely possible.’ There is more to life than what you can see. Learn to trust the process and stay open to possibility.

In this video, I share 3 transformative practices to help you embrace possibility.

Ask yourself powerful questions. They shape how you think, influence how you feel, and motivate action.
Quiet reflection. Create space to listen inwardly and notice what emerges.
Daily spiritual practice. Anchor your day with rituals that remind you of what is possible.

Exercise: Choose one of these practices today and notice how it shifts your perspective.

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All the best,

Ruthann

Create a Theme for Your Year: Focus on What Matters Most

Creating a theme for the year is a powerful way to stay focused on what matters most.

Create a short phrase that sums up what is most important to you this year. Use your theme to create 3-5 goals. Ensure your goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time bound), use positive language, and affirm what you want to create versus what you want to avoid.

Review your theme on a daily basis. It will serve as a source of motivation and inspiration throughout the year. Consider using images and/or symbols as a visual reminder of your desired outcome.

Need help setting SMART goals? Check out my post SMART Goals: Bring Your Desires to Life.

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All the best,

Ruthann

The Power of Affirmations: A Mindset Shift for Clarity and Focus

Affirm what you want to create in your life.

In this video, I share how affirmations can help you shift your thinking and stay focused on what you want to create in your life. I outline four ways to make affirmations most effective: keeping them goal-focused, written in the present tense, using positive language, and making them short and memorable. You will also learn how to create a daily practice that makes affirmations a natural part of your journey.

Link highlighted in the video https://ruthannwilson.com/affirmations/

All the best,

Ruthann

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

The Power of Being Willing: Cultivating Openness to Move Beyond Resistance and Forward with Purpose

In this video, I highlight a simple, but powerful affirmation to help you cultivate a willing spirit, work through resistance, and keep moving forward.

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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?

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

Create Your Ideal Day: Visualize and Achieve Your Goals

If you look up the word ideal in the dictionary, you will see synonyms like perfect, flawless, seamless, and impeccable. For most of us, these are words that make an ideal anything seem unattainable. So, you may be wondering why I am encouraging you to create something that is seemingly unattainable. There is a method to my ‘madness’.

The process of creating your ideal day taps into your imagination and opens you to possibility. When you compare your ideal day to your current reality, you are able to see where changes are needed to make reality more like the ideal. It gives you something to aspire to each day.

This week, I invite you to spend some time creating your ideal day. Compare your ideal day to your typical day. Identify 3-5 things that you would like to change and create a plan of action. Small changes on a daily basis can have a big effect.

Consider creating a vision board/visual representation of your ideal day. It is a powerful tool for staying focused and bringing your vision to life through the use of words, images, and symbols. The key is to include words, images, and symbols that are meaningful to you. Keep your board in a place where you will see it on a daily basis. It will serve as a reminder of how you would like to live your life on a daily basis.

What you will need:

Your goals/desired outcomes for your day
Poster board, cork board, or large piece of paper
Glue, tape, push pins (depending on the type of board you are using)
Words, images, and symbols that you cut out of magazines and/or download from the internet
Colored pens and/or markers for handwritten words and/or images
Scissors

Alternatively, you may also decide to create a digital vision board via software or app.

There is no right or wrong way to create your board. It is a creative process that produces a visual representation of what you desire for your day/life. Need some inspiration? This link will take you to Google images for vision boards.

Living life one day at a time will help you stay grounded and present to your life.

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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