Do you have any rituals for the end of the year? Do you take any time to review how the past year went or do the years simply blend from one into another without pause?
I think it’s a good thing to do and it’s something I encourage my clients to do. It’s a valuable exercise to take some time in silence with a journal and your thoughts reflecting back over the year that has passed. It’s good to be mindful and take stock. Our lives pass by so very quickly and there is value in stopping to think for a short while.
I make a ritual of it. I block some time out in my diary when no one is around, make myself some tea, have a warm house, burn my favourite candles, play some gentle music in the background, open up my journal and let my thoughts flow out onto the page.
If you’ve not done this before, here are some questions for you to consider as we say goodbye to 2014. I’ll offer you some different questions in my next post if you’re fed up of making and not keeping resolutions for the new year.
- What went really well this year?
- Where have I surprised myself this year?
- What have I learned this year?
- What is working well in my life and why?
- How will I reward myself for things that went well this year?
- Where did I struggle this year? What did I learn from it?
- What could I have done differently?
- What have I been grateful for this year?
- How am I different this year from last?
- What were my greatest challenges?
- What did I complete?
- What inspired me this year?
- What did I enjoy most?
- If there was a theme for 2014, how would I describe it? (eg a year of consolidation, taking risks, trust, releasing, upheaval….)
Choose some of these questions to answer. Some will resonate, others will not. Take care of the ones you avoid….they just might be the ones you need to answer!
Let me know how you get on.
Rebecca x