How to Do Success Check-In to Make Transitions Easier

While fall won’t officially arrive for another few weeks, all signs point heavily to its unofficial start. School buses are once again visible, parents are adjusting to new schedules, and kids are toting new supplies and backpacks. The last few summer gatherings and BBQs have been enjoyed. For the northeasterners, some leaf color changes are beginning to appear. We’re in the midst of transition, which for most of us can feel uncomfortable.  We finally adjusted to summer and now everything is changing, yet again. This is the perfect time to do a success check-in. You might be wondering what is that? I’m glad you asked.

A success check-in is a way of revisiting past successes, appreciating and learning from any failures, and building upon those discoveries to reset for the next phase. You’ve heard this before that success breeds more success. Drawing on your positive experiences will be the fuel needed to help you navigate transitions more easily. 

The Success Check-in

Here ‘s the good news. The success review doesn’t have to be time consuming or formal. It can be fun! All that’s needed is your willingness to do a bit of thinking. Consider this like taking a walk down memory lane. I like to write thoughts down, but that’s not essential. Just thinking is valuable too. Another thing that might help jog your memory is to look at any photos you took over the summer. That helped me and had the added bonus of getting to relive some of those happy experiences again. Do what works for you. There are no rules here, but if it helps, here are a few questions you can use to get things going.

Think about  . . .

What did you do this summer?
What projects did you start?
What projects did you complete?
Where did you travel?
What new learning did you have?
Did you spend time with family or friends?
Did you have time for yourself?
What kind of self-care did you engage in?
What was your favorite day?
What made it significant?
Was there anything you noticed?
What failures did you have? 
What did you learn from them?

What Made Summer a Success?

I’ll admit that I loved this summer and that I’m not quite ready to say my goodbyes. After having an intense year, I appreciated the ease of this season.  For me, summer had a great mix of experiences. Some were solitary and others were spent enjoying and helping people.  I had time with family and friends, traveled, explored new places, hiked up a mountain, had a tag sale, spent time at the beach, dipped my toes in the Croton River, digitized our home movies, started some house projects, helped clients with their organizing projects and goals (virtually and in-person), completed a new webinar about change for the ICD (Institute for Challenging Disorganization) that I’ll be presenting in a few weeks. I ran out of time to kayak on the Hudson River, visit Playland, take more walks, and complete some home projects. The good news is that I get to reset my goals and plan for the fall.

Creating a new webinar about change for ICD's virtual conference was one of my summer projects. To learn more about it, check out this interview . . .

Exploring new places like Monhegan Island in Maine was one of the summer highlights

One of my favorite days was exploring Monhegan Island with my husband. I loved the beautiful landscapes and quiet, since there are no cars allowed on the island. It was such a peaceful place. When my mind gets busy, I think back to sitting on top of the cliffs overlooking the sea with only the sounds of the waves crashing, the gentle breeze blowing, and the seagulls squawking. 

With thoughts of summer successes on my mind, I’m ready now to embrace the new season of learning and adventure. I encourage you to do your success check-in. What was your favorite summer experience or moment? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!