Stage 1: Reflect

Lay the Foundation with Self-Honesty and Empathy

Before you can design your future, you need to understand your present.
Stage 1: Reflect invites you to pause—honestly, compassionately—and explore where you are, how you feel, and what truly matters to you.

This stage combines two essential steps in your Life Design journey:

• Accept – Start with grounded self-awareness

• Empathize – Understand your inner drivers and patterns

You can't design forward until you see clearly what's here and now.

Accept — Start Where You Are

Designing Your Life Begins with Honesty and Compassion

This is your invitation to stop, take stock, and notice—without judgment—what’s working, what’s not, and where your energy is flowing.

You’re not here to fix yourself. You’re here to understand yourself.

Why This Step Matters:

• You shift from reacting to responding with intention

• You acknowledge discomfort without being defined by it

• You tap into resilience, clarity, and ownership
  
  

Key Themes:

• Emotional awareness

• Grounded reflection

• Honest self-check-in
  
  

Try These Tools:

• Life Wheel – Visualize satisfaction across key life domains

• Life Audit – Identify what drains vs. energizes you
  👉 [Explore Workbook Tools for Accept]
  
  

Empathize — Understand Yourself Deeply

Know Yourself Before You Design Your Life

In traditional design thinking, empathy helps us understand users. In Life Design, you are the user. This step is about getting curious—not critical—about who you are, how you’ve grown, and what fuels you.

It’s not about over analyzing. It’s about connecting the dots between your experiences, values, and aspirations.

Why This Step Matters:

• You clarify what truly fulfills and energizes you

• You separate internal truth from external noise

• You define success on your own terms
  
  

Key Questions:

• What do I value most—and why?

• When have I felt most proud, alive, or energized?

• What patterns have shaped my journey so far?

• What does meaningful work, play, or growth look like to me?
  
  

Try These Tools:

• Lifeline Exercise – Reflect on the highs and lows of your life so far

• VIPS Profiling – Clarify your Values, Interests, Personality, and Strengths & Skills

• SOAR Analysis – Focus on strengths and opportunities to move forward with clarity
  👉 [Explore Workbook Tools for Empathize]
  
  

How to Reflect Well

You are not a problem to solve.
You are a person to understand.

This stage is about listening to yourself—gently and honestly—so you can move forward with purpose, not pressure.

Start With:

• Compassion, not criticism

• Curiosity, not comparison

• Awareness, not avoidance
  
  

Download the Workbook

Access guided tools, reflective prompts, and exercises for both Accept and Empathize.
👉 [Download the Odyssey Planner Workbook]

Ready to Move Forward?

Once you’re grounded in self-understanding, it’s time to move into Stage 2: Design—where you’ll define your challenges and explore bold, creative possibilities.
👉 [Continue to Stage 2: Design ›]