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Alycia Owens's avatar

Aleks, do you have to be 35 to do the almost 40 assessment?! I turn 34 in April, but with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, I feel 100 🤣

I love seeing Rest on a list of values. I also spent a moment on the bull’s eye and realized that, over the last year, I’ve been hyper-focused on self-care with relationships second and the other two nonexistent! Reflecting back, I wonder how much of that felt like a necessity--like if I DONT prioritize myself, can I survive this?!

Thank you for this lovely post 💖

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Aleksandra Balazy-Knas's avatar

Hi Alycia. I'm glad to hear that you found the values exercise helpful. To me (and potentially other women who can relate as well), slowly but steadily approaching 40 feels like crossing some mythical barrier. I have so many mixed feelings about it, which itself poses a great reflection. I think your point about prioritizing yourself is really accurate. I would love to engage in more self-care activities out of 'want' rather than 'need' (because, as you said, you cannot survive otherwise). Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts! ❤️

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Beverley's avatar

Great read Aleks! I really like the idea of focusing on values and 1% improvements- I often fall into a Bridget Jonesy trap of deciding to revolutionise absolutely everything about myself in contradictory ways. Could totally relate to the rollercoaster comment. Thanks for sharing!

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Aleksandra Balazy-Knas's avatar

Thank you, Beverley! Don't get me wrong - when I think about change, I think BIG! However, with very minimal, not to say minuscule, amounts of time, I have learned to slow down. And reading 'The Tortoise and the Hare' with my son reminds me that 'slow and steady wins the race'! 😉

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Ashley Zuberi's avatar

Thanks for sharing the bullseye exercise! Looking forward to trying it out. I’m 35 too and I feel like I’m just emerging from the haze of the last 5 years and 2 kids. Such a strange, hard, joyful 5 years.

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Kathryn Barbash, PsyD's avatar

I am a big fan of values exercises for guidance!

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Aleksandra Balazy-Knas's avatar

Same! :)

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Christine Vaughan Davies's avatar

The bull's eye exercise is intriguing. I've never seen it before, but will definitely think about where I would be on it now!

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Aleksandra Balazy-Knas's avatar

I really do recommend it! Such a quick and enlightening way of mapping what truly matters out!

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Jan 20, 2024
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Aleksandra Balazy-Knas's avatar

Oh thank you, Natasha! It is such a wild ride, isn't it?

I am glad you enjoyed Bulls Eye. I think I need to share a blank copy now with some instructions!

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