Photo credit: NordWood Themes; @nordwood
Heading into the New Year, many of us have our planning hats on. Calendars, planners, to-do lists and goals for 2020 are the focus. I have to admit I love this time of year. I love setting up a new planner and focusing on a fresh start. Starting with a truly clean slate is easier said than done, as I’ve come to learn the hard way.
Enthusiasm for a new beginning helps people step into the future. However, taking inventory of where we are in life and what transpired the year prior is a crucial step. I used to charge into each New Year with unwavering gusto and grand plans. Just a few months in I’d be dead in the water with old monsters and nasty habits rearing their ugly heads. What I hadn’t realized was that despite the best of intentions and a surplus of positive energy, I’d run into the New Year hauling all my old baggage. I still had beliefs, habits, and thought patterns that no longer helped me and I still carried them because I had no idea they were there!
So many of us make detailed plans for the future without taking an inventory of where we are and where we’ve been. Years ago, I happened upon a blog post referencing having a “closing ceremony” for the current year before moving into the next year, and a light bulb went off. It honestly had never occurred to me to perform such a task and I couldn’t figure out why since it sounded like such a logical thing to do.
I decided to perform my own “closing ceremony” and the results changed my life. Completing this exercise for the first time allowed me to truly reflect on what I’d accomplished that year and what failures I’d experienced. I got to acknowledge what I needed to let go of and what negative patterns I’d cultivated that I wanted to release. I also saw what effective actions I’d taken that I wanted to continue. The process of acknowledging and releasing the year made all the difference in my preparation for the next year and especially the successful execution of my goals. This is now an exercise I conduct faithfully at the end of each year. I’d like to share this information with you so that you too can benefit from this exercise.
Questions to Review 2019
What successes did you experience or accomplish in 2019?
Out of these accomplishments, which 3 are you most proud of?
What failures or setbacks did you experience 2019?
What were the biggest lessons you learned in 2019?
What are you willing to let go of and leave behind in 2019?
What helpful energies and habits do I want to continue utilizing in the New Year?
Taking the time to answer these simple questions thoroughly need not take more than 20 minutes and can positively impact your life in ways you can only imagine. Our past informs our future whether we review what happened or not. Conscientiously taking stock of experiences and deliberately choosing what we want to release and what we want to take with us on our journey brings us closer to the bright future we desire and deserve.