Bye Bye 2016!
It's only a couple of days left to the end of 2016. (Breathe...)For many of us, it's been a very "trying" year. Some of us may be thinking another year come and gone and I didn't get to achieve my plans or goals. While there are some fortunate ones that can look back and say "It was a good year".
In any case, we are all waiting to say goodbye to 2016 and welcome 2017.
But.... As we come to the end of 2016 and enter into the New Year, many of us need to take inventory and "Let Go" of things, people, bad habits and memories that were too painful, that held us back and hindered us. We don't want to take heavy, unnecessary baggage into 2017.
Part of moving forward, we are often required to look back at where we have been and how far we have come along.
The end of the Year is the perfect time to review our accomplishments and progress.
Before We Welcome 2017....
Whether you have plans for 2017 or not - regardless of what you want to accomplish and what goals you want to achieve - the best thing you can do to set yourself up for success is to go through a process of: Review, Reflection, and Processing your past.Too often we start the New Year with "What do I want to achieve this Year?" and that's a great question and one that we need to answer to move forward and make progress. But in order to successfully move forward and accomplish that goal and or goals, we need to first review and process what happened in the year gone by.
Review and Reflection are Vital if we want to make progress and or lasting change in the coming Year. It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge our challenges, difficulties, mistakes and lessons learned - and also our successes. It helps give an overview as to where we have grown and what direction we should take next.
If we want 2017 to be different, it would be wise to take inventory and review and process the past year gone by.
When we look back on 2016, we don't just review what went wrong, But we also review what went right.
Review, Reflection, and Processing your past allows you to prepare for your future. So before moving forward into the New Year, reflect on what happened in this past year, discern what it meant and find what lessons can be gleaned from it. Only then can we properly begin the process of moving ahead in 2017.
To help you do this, Ask Yourself:
- What did you accomplish this past year that you are most proud of?
- What disappointments or regrets did you experience?
- What was missing from this past year? (Think on all areas in your life - spiritual, relational, physical, professional etc)
- What were the major life-lessons from this past year? What do you think it was trying to teach you?
However, this reflection is by no way supposed to burden or hinder you. This is merely a way to reflect on what to strengthen (all the good) and what to let go of and not repeat (all the bad / negative). It is a useful way to shift your perspective and focus on what worked and what made you happy and fulfilled.
Look at it as a way to get the Old You and the Future You to narrow your Focus on the Present You - Where You are Right Now and what you need to do to move forward.
Take this reflection time to build on You. What you really want out of your life. The review and reflection will also be essential in setting meaningful goals for the upcoming year, that align with your values, standards and who you are.So as the year comes to an end, before starting your New Year goals and what you want to accomplish, I encourage you to set aside some time to Review, Reflect and Process. Write down your thoughts and learnings.
In addition to the above questions, here are 10 Meaningful Areas to Review, Reflect and Process to move forward and Welcome 2017:
- List:
- The Most Important people in your life - Love and Support You
- The People who drain you - Toxic people to stay clear of or minimise your interaction with.
- The people who Inspire you - Motivate you
- What you would like MORE of in your Life and what you would like LESS of in your Life.
- Your achievements this past year. (Include Personal, Professional, Relational, Spiritual). This is what you're most proud of - what you would like to celebrate.
- What were your biggest challenges this past year?
- What do you secretly need to acknowledge / confront and change about yourself?
- What do you already know you want to accomplish in this next coming year?
- What are you most excited about for the coming year?
- What would you like to express in your life and work? (Your Character, Values and Standards)
- What does it mean to you to have a rich and full life?
- How could I have more fun and joy in my life?
In thoroughly doing this, you should have a clearer picture as to where you are headed or what you need to do to move forward.
Don't get overwhelmed: Focus on doing one thing at a time. On the Now and on You - one task or target you want to achieve.
Your Now is today - the first day toward making a shift, the change to a New You and to achieving your goals.
Always remember, Your Past does NOT = Your Future.
Wishing You a Prosperous and Happy New Year
Karen - ZenSational Life and Business Coaching.
