Reflection

Booklet
2019 Edition – developed by Hugo Pereira
 Introduction

This Reflection Booklet was initially developed as a personal initiative to help me gain more insights
about myself as I continue to develop every year. The closing of one year and start of a new one is a
natural transition point; a balance of divergence and convergence.

On one hand, we look back and let memories and thoughts fill our mind as we try to comprehend what
the year that just passed meant to us. On the other hand, the start of a new year brings the hope of
something great and opens up a world of possibilities as we envision and shape what’s ahead of us.

Since 2017, I have published the exercise I do for myself publicly and the reception has been warm
and positive. Recent feedback suggest that this booklet has not just helped to capture the transition to
another year, but also to formalize closing some chapters, and starting new ones. With that effect, this
edition will continue to use the 2019 calendar year as the foundation for the exercises, but it is flexible
enough for you to use to close or start chapters as you see fit.

I hope you enjoy the process.

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 Flow

Guidelines
• Set time aside for the reflection process.
• Define the time scope for both sections (e.g. this year for the “Debriefing or Closing a Chapter” section and
next year for the “Building a New Chapter” section). You can do both together or separate and you can
pace yourself.
• I also highly recommend that you start with meditation or breathing activities before beginning a
round of exercises to help ground you in the experience
• Have materials ready with you once you start, such as pen or pencil, post-it notes, A4 or A3 paper.

Flow
• First, read the whole Reflection Booklet and get acquainted with the exercises and questions.
• Second, block a fair amount of time to go over the questions and answer them in any open format.
• Finally, once you answer all the questions and exercises, lay them out all together. Then look for
patterns or things that are surprising to you and try to bring it all together in a way which will allow to
look back and understand the thought process behind it. It can help if you decide to review it later in
the future.
Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira
Debriefing or
Closing a Chapter
Example of Time Period: Calendar Year
Length: 6 exercises

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 1. What “hats” do you wear everyday?
As a kick-off exercise, I would like you to take a step back, choose a time period (e.g. last year) and write
down all the “hats” you wore in this period on post-it notes. Make sure to write them down as a form of
job title (see examples below), and ensure you dedicate a post-it / note to each.
Only stop when nothing else comes to your mind.

Joe, The Marketer Jane, The Manager

Joe, The Father Jane, The Portuguese-Born
Joe, The Best Friend Jane, The Activist
Joe, The Active Listener Jane, The Dreamer
… …

IMPORTANT: When you finish it, don’t throw away the post-it’s or the notes.
Keep it with you as the “personal hats” will be needed for another exercise. Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira
2. What meaningful moments did I experience?
Now it’s time to reflect on the experiences that shaped you. Write down (or draw) your six most
meaningful moments (overall) from the period chosen (both positive and/or negative), while also
describing what they meant to you and how they have affected your behavior.

1 2 3
Moment #1 Moment #2 Moment #3
Describe it Describe it Describe it

4 5 6
Moment #4 Moment #5 Moment #6
Describe it Describe it Describe it

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 3. What did I miss?
A year is probably not enough to explore everything you want. Write down general ideas, or
experiences you missed that are still on your mind. A mind map might be the perfect tool to fill in
these gaps.

Idea 4
Idea 1

Idea 3
Idea 6 Idea 5

Idea 2

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

4. What have I learned about myself?
With the most impactful moments outlined, and a better understanding of yourself, the next step is
to write down the lessons learned from the chosen period. Try to focus on both conscious and
unconscious learning.

Conscious learning
Write down the things you deliberately
chose to learn; that you made efforts to
learn or get better at.

Unconscious learning
Write down the things you learned that
were not deliberate or hidden, but
became part of you as you realized what
they meant.

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

5. Who made it worth it?
Gratitude is an essential part of the debrief process. You have built a community of friends,
colleagues, role models, and/or family that have helped you learn more about yourself. Some of this
community may have experienced meaningful moments with you, or they may have been there for
you during your high and low periods.

Showcasing care for your community is a great way to

show gratitude from you.

For the period chosen, think about the people that

empowered or challenged you, that laughed or cried in
your high and low moments, that you taught or learned
from—let them know in any format (video, call, message,
gift, any medium) how much they meant to you and how
they made it worth it.

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

6. What is worth fighting for and what do I have
to let go?
As you close this debrief section, think about what is worth investing time in moving forward and
what do you need to let go partially or entirely. These items can be anything from sports, learning
areas, health, or experiences.

• Time on social media

WORTH
• People
• Current evening routine
• Learning new languages • …
• More time with family
• Continuing competitive sports
• … LET GO

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

Building a
New Chapter
Example of Time Period: Calendar Year
Length: 8 exercises

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 1. Your
Stand
BONUS POINTS!
PAINT, DRAW, OR SELECT A

AMBITION PICTURE OR SET OF PICTURES

THAT REPRESENT THE YEAR
AHEAD

STATEMENT
Write down a personal statement that can describe your
upcoming year. It should reflect your goals, ambitions,
experiences, and foreseen learnings in a summarized way.
Write them down in past achievement format, e.g. “In X year, I
achieved [X,Y,Z] and enjoyed the beautiful landscapes of [ABC
country]! I have learned more about [XXX] and invested more
quality time with [family, partner, brothers, etc.]
 2. Your “Hats”
Picking up from the first exercise from the ”Debrief” section, you wrote down all the personal
“hats” you wore for the selected period. Moving forward, go back to the same personal “hats”
and move them into specific categories, as seen below.

More of Let go / less off Neutral / Same

Joe, The Joe, The Marketer Joe, The Father

Active Listener
Joe, The Best Friend

IMPORTANT: If you feel that a “personal hat” is missing looking forward, feel free to add it,
ideally in a new colored post-it or note as it’s a new intention you should be aware of. Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira
 3. Your Experiences
Write down or draw six moments you wish to experience (overall) for the select upcoming period.
Envision what type of experiences and milestones you want to achieve in no specific order.

Experience #1 Experience #3 Experience #5

1 Describe or draw it 3 Describe or draw it 5 Describe or draw it

Experience #2 Experience #4 Experience #6

Describe or draw it 2 Describe or draw it 4 Describe or draw it 6

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 4. Your Learning Plan
Ambition statement set. Envisioned experiences noted down. It’s time to describe the learning areas that
you want to invest time on over the next year. These learning areas are blocks that should help you evolve
to become an even better person and professional.

LEARNING AREA #1
1 Describe it

2 3 2
LEARNING AREA #1
Describe it

4 3 LEARNING AREA #3
Describe it

1 5 4 LEARNING AREA #4
Describe it

LEARNING AREA #5
5 Describe it

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 5. Your Expertise
The foundation for next year is nearly complete. Now, it’s important to keep evolving yourself and
become a bigger influencer in your (desired) areas of expertise. Think about the areas of expertise
that you want to stand out next year, and how you can showcase them more often.

03
New area of expertise you
will feel you are gaining and
want to practice more often
01 Primary expertise you will
put in practice and/or
showcase to the world, via
writing, occasional sharing or
participating in forums, for
example.

Secondary expertise you will

put in practice and/or share
with the closest people to
you (work, personal, etc.)
02

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

6. Your Affirmations
A lot of who and what we are evolves as we grow older and gain more insights, not just about
ourselves, but also about world around us. Additionally, we live in a world full of noise, high
pressure, and sometimes we might forget the principles that guide us. This exercise is to help build
a set of affirmations that remind us of what we intend to be or become.

Example of affirmations:
I am enough.
I am grateful for the present.
I let the artist in me be alive.
I’m always growing and learning.
…

BONUS TIP:
Sometimes it’s hard to remember your most important affirmations.
To do so, think of symbols, rituals, or objects that you can connect
an affirmation with. Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira
 7. Your Community
To help you achieve your personal ambition and gain new experiences, learnings and expertise—
think about the people that you will need the most help from in order to achieve your vision for the
upcoming year. Describe how you will connect with them and how they can help you out
throughout the year.

Person #1 Person #2 Person #3 Person #4 Person #X

DESCRIBE HOW DESCRIBE HOW DESCRIBE HOW DESCRIBE HOW DESCRIBE HOW
HE/SHE CAN HE/SHE CAN HE/SHE CAN HE/SHE CAN HE/SHE CAN
HELP YOU OUT HELP YOU OUT HELP YOU OUT HELP YOU OUT HELP YOU OUT

Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira

 8. Your Moonshot
Yes, this is a disruptive one. You have everything set in stone for the next year. Yet, somewhere in the back
of our minds we all have a crazy or ambitious idea– let’s call it your moonshot. This normally requires a big
leap or commitment of time, so just take some moments before your close your next year vision, and see if
anything you wrote beforehand helps you get closer to your moonshot. If not, use the exercise below to get
started.

02
Second step Third step
03 The third step probably requires some
The second step should get
you more clear on how to get research, study or knowledge gained

closer to it, and who do you

need to help you out.

05 Fifth step
The fifth step should be a clear
deliverable that gets you closer to
your moonshot. Something
01 First step The fourth step should be concrete, worth sharing with
The first step should be practical and get you hands on others.
taken within the first 15 days
of your new year.
Fourth step
04
Reflection Booklet – 2019 Edition - Hugo Pereira
 Thank You.
Look back and reflect. Pause. Move forward and don’t stop.

I hope this Reflection Booklet truly helps you out. I offer this
content free to everyone as I believe in the power of sharing and
caring.
Hugo Pereira
The only kind request I have is to share with me in any format (email, E: hugosbento@[Link]
social media, direct message) if you go through the exercises and
how much it helped you. /in/hugosbpereira
I have enjoyed receiving pictures of individuals and groups of people @hugosbpereira
completing the Reflection Booklet together and gives me immense
energy and gratitude seeing it being used around the world.

Many thanks and best wishes for your reflections,

Hugo