n January it is valuable to reflect upon the previous year. This week I provide you with some ways to approach this task, and my hope is you have some epiphanies, clarity and ideas that assist you, as you move forward.
Before you begin you will want to set the stage for this exercise. Create a cozy relaxed environment by making some tea, lighting a few candles, playing peaceful music and burning some of your favourite incense. Gather a few things you will need.
Start by taking some time to review the previous year – get out your journal, agenda / daytimer, vision board, list of goals, Reiki wheel, pen and paper; anything that will remind you of what occurred over the past year, as well as, what you had intended to accomplish. Then, write down the answer to the following questions:
- What did I accomplish in 2019? What did I work hardest at?
- What surprised me this year? What happened that I hadn’t planned on?
- What were my disappointments?
- Which goals or intentions did I set for myself in 2019 did I not complete? What happened?
- What were my greatest challenges in 2019?
- What is the greatest achievement that I’m most proud of in 2019?
- What new learning and insights did 2019 leave me with?
- What will I intentionally leave behind in 2019? (Beliefs, patterns, habits, situations, or ways of thinking.)
- What will I consciously carry forward into 2020 and continue working towards? (Include your I AM statements and affirmations.)
- What else is important to acknowledge about this past year?
Write a list of at least 20 things / people / events / experiences you are grateful for in 2019. (Being grateful is a powerful way to bring in more of the good stuff in life.)
Once you feel complete with your review of the year, you may choose to symbolically release it by safely burning or shredding the paper you wrote on and in the spirit of gratitude welcome all 2020 has to offer.
Complete the exercise by asking yourself if you’ve appropriately celebrated all of your efforts and accomplishments over the year?
Remember the seemingly small things may have been integral to bigger shifts. And, perhaps think of a way to celebrate and acknowledge all the work you’ve done, the impact you’ve made and the people who have contributed value to your life over the past year?
And consider asking a few of the people closest to you a few questions for input and clarity:
- what you mean to them
- how you have contributed to their lives
- how you can continue to play a role in their lives
- what they see as your strengths, challenges and opportunities/areas for growth
I like to keep each year’s reflections printed out and placed in a file to reflect upon, even if just briefly, each year.
Take a peek at the wellness tip below – let it inspire you!
Wellness Tip: Your Ideas, Passions and Dreams
We have ideas, passions and dreams for a reason – because they are our hearts’ longings. Our truest deepest longings reside in the heart. That’s why we have a heart – it serves as a compass to guide us through our lives. If those longings weren’t our path, we wouldn’t have them. I see too may people each week in my coaching practice that are going through the motions of life. They simply exist and “make do” as the years pass, while they wait and hope. Hoping for something to change.
Only movement creates change. And movement causes friction. Wishing, hoping and complaining do not create change – they never have and never will. Make a move. And make it now. Live as fully as you were intended to. That is why you are here living this life….to live fully – to embrace the huge buffet of life.