TRY THIS: To help shed some light on alignment, write for seven minutes on this topic: In what ways are my work and life aligned with what is most important to me? In what ways am I not in alignment? What actions might I take to be more aligned?

TRY THIS: Choose one of the moments you identified as a low point on your timeline. Write about this event for at least twelve minutes. Just write, without editing or overthinking. Afterward, read what you wrote. What do you learn? How might these insights positively influence your life?

TRY THIS: Write about your own feelings of belonging and not belonging.

What groups do you belong to?

When do you feel as though you don’t belong?

What undercuts your feelings of belonging?

What supports your feelings of belonging?

TRY THIS: Do a brief audit of the people who depend on you. Acknowledge and write about the ways that others depend on you. At the same time, notice and reflect on how you depend on others. Let yourself sink into and fully embrace the mutual support you’ve given and received. Let yourself feel safe and held by other people in your life, and acknowledge the ways you’ve given this to others. In your journal, reflect on the meaning and richness this has provided. No one is perfect; others have sometimes let you down, and at times you’ve done the same. No matter. For now, fully appreciate your most important relationships, whatever role they play in your life.

Similarly, when writing a thank-you note, my egotistical instinct is to write a note about all the ways I’m going to use the gift you just gave me. But if I’m going to be an empathetic person, I need to get outside of my perspective and get inside yours. I’m going to write about your intentions—the impulses that led you to think that this gift is right for me and the thinking process that impelled you to buy it.