I believe that it is important to review and close out each year as it ends to ensure we learn all that we can from it. Doing so also lays the foundation for our dreams and plans in the coming year. This simple year end process will guide you as you reflect, learn and discover what you want to create in the year to come.
Start your year end process by reviewing your calendar, pictures taken, and other things that will refresh your memory of what you experienced. It is likely that you have forgotten or minimized many wins and special moments and this is a great time to bring them forward and honor them.
Set aside some quiet time and find a comfortable place where you can spend time with these questions. Writing your answers will assist you in getting the most you can out of the experience and will also create something you will be able to look back on in years to come.
Part One: The Outgoing Year
What were the blessings and magical moments I experienced this year?
What successes did I achieve?
What am I proud of myself for?
What surprised me?
What did I learn from this year’s challenges?
What did I worry about and how did it turn out?
What do I want to take from this year to create a foundation for the year to come?
What do I want to leave behind? (physical, mental, or emotional)
What am I most grateful for?
Part Two: The Fresh New Year
What theme or focus will I choose for the coming year?
What do I want to stand for?
What qualities do I want to cultivate in myself?
What changes would I like to make?
What do I want my life to look like at the end of this year?
How do I want to feel?
How can I make that happen?
What intentions would I like to set for the coming year?
If you want to set goals or make resolutions I encourage you to only commit to things you are confident you can and will do. Breaking a commitment to yourself, would only undermine your confidence, self-trust and self-worth.
One possibility would be to make very small or short-term commitments that are easy to keep so that you can start establishing a pattern of success. You can always add more later.
Enjoy your end of year process. I hope it brings closure, learnings and inspires you to move toward your dreams.
Happy New Year!
If you would like the support of an experienced, professional Life Coach in completing your year end process or bringing your goals and intentions to life, I would love to help. Please contact me to set up a consultation.
Related Posts:
Living Your Values and Dreams In the New Year
A Simple Guide to Living Your Best Life
Creating a Life of Grace and Gratitude
These are great questions to ponder, Linda. I’ll be spending some time with this list in the coming weeks. Thanks for the prompt!
Enjoy! I bet you are planning something great for 2017.
Now this is exactly what I need Linda! Thanks for prompting me to considering the New Year and what I hope to accomplish in the next 365 days. Doesn’t seem like a long enough when I consider how fast time passes. I appreciate you inspiring some loftier goals. Happy New Year Linda!
Wow, these are great questions to ask! It’s so important to honestly review the past before setting your intentions for the coming year. Thanks for providing this list!
You are most welcome. I hope they remind you of the magic of the year past and help you set beautiful intentions for the one ahead.
It’s great to see what we’ve learnt in the past year in this time of review. So important that we recognise our achievements and use them as a foundation for the next steps of our life journey.
Lovely post, as yours always are! I want to live into gentleness this year. I know am it, but it has been covered over by life’s debris. Hoping to trust and peace, too.
While I set a goal or two/three each year, I rarely look back to evaluate. I like your questions in that perspective. Will take a crack at it! Thanks for that information.
The additional value of reviewing your wins in the prior period is that it creates a positive mental state before you set any new goals. Have fun with it!
Very good questions and ideas to close the year to start the new. I do Susannah Conway’s Unravel the Year. I don’t always finish it but I will make a concerted effort this year.
Wonderful suggestions. Has me thinking. May your New Year be filled with the fulfillment of your dreams!
And, yours as well.
WOW, you hit the mark with me….I’m printing this out and using it and answering the questions and coming up with my realistic plans for 2019 and hopefully knock 2019 out of the water.
Have fun with the process! It looks like 2019 will be a great year for you.