Letting go of this year

Time for a conscious examination.

The end of the year is upon us and many of us may already be caught in the frenzy of the holidays. In most traditions around the world, the New Year is celebrated as a time for a blank slate. “New Year, new me” is the motto.

Although in order to truly be anew, we need to know there is change. Change is doing something different, alter or modify.
Of course, there is no obligation to change or start new. Why change when you’re winning? Why change if your life is exactly how you want it to be?

But, how do you know that you’re winning? How do you know if what you’re doing is working, or going astray, without an examination? How often do you take a moment to really think about the kind of life you want?
As we’re approaching the end of the year, this is the perfect time to start looking in the rear mirror and review the past 12 months.

Living the good life was a lifestyle for the stoic philosophers, who reviewed not just the year but every single day with 3 questions:
“What did you do amiss? What did you do? What duty was left undone?”

According to Seneca, this evening meditation on the day improves our sleep. Without conscious examination, our mind can get into ruminations, which turn into worry. This pattern does not only exhaust mental energy, it also raises stress levels and takes a toll on our health. In this state of mind, we make decisions based on fear and become overly reactive.
By consciously shining a light on the situations that created frustration, anger, or other reactions that were not acknowledged in the moment, we gain control over negative emotions and break free from unhelpful thought patterns.

The top 3 reasons to review the year

Reason #1: Biggest lessons

I see it all the time with people I work with: self-knowledge can be used in service of greater health and well-being. The end of the year provides an opportunity to draw out lessons.

One of those lessons for me this year is the value in being more intentional. Looking back, I see myself running around, taking on too much, feeling overwhelmed, exhausting myself and getting mediocre results when lacking intention. As a business owner, being busy has sometimes more to do with coping for the anxiety of a bad month than carefully building my brand.
But in the moments of intentional effort, I am focused, satisfied, clear and at peace, experiencing more joy and ease as well as getting greater results.

Why does this lesson matter? With this awareness, I can now be more diligent and state my intentions clearly so that my life flows. I can dedicate more time for planning. More importantly, I can focus on intentional actions and eliminate the rest.

What lesson did you learn this year that can lead to better results and less stress?

Reason #2: Take pride, acknowledge and celebrate

What happened for you this year? Looking back can help measure accomplishments, bring closure, and acknowledge important events. It’s easy to keep moving to the next thing and not take pride in what you have done or reflect on life-changing events.

When I took the time to review 2021, I took stock of life events: my husband had a major surgery and I came up with a plan for the both of us to prepare for it as best as we could. I then cared for him for 6 weeks, with a 10-months old baby. I completed the ADAPT-Health coach training program in which I acquired a number of new skills, I started a business and impacted many people around me positively, all the while being a 7 out of 10 on a scale of the mother I want to be. This was a big year. There was a lot for me to handle and I did it mostly with grace. I don’t think I would have realized that without taking a moment to look back.

Most of us are constantly looking for what needs improvement, what’s not working, how far out-of-reach our goals are. Without taking time to review, we simply go on without acknowledging the progress, what has been done and what is successful, missing an opportunity to celebrate our wins and efforts.

What happened for you this past year?
What are you proud of? What could you do better?

Reason #3: Refocus on your purpose and create goals for the New Year

We all have a sense of what we would like to accomplish in life, whether explicit or not. In conversations with clients, touching on this can help light a plan on fire. Articulating what gives us purpose can result in greater happiness, focus and clarity.
A legacy and a life that matters are created by the sum of each year, each month and each day.

Reviewing the year gets us out of our auto-pilot mode, gets us to zoom out of the everyday hassle and is an opportunity to reconnect with our purpose. How did this year bring you closer to the legacy you want to create?

When we’re on the hamster wheel, we can lose sight of what matters long term and get lost in mundane tasks. Losing focus can lead to dissatisfaction, feeling empty and depleted.
How do you know that you’re going in the right direction? How do you set priorities? Taking a moment to review this past year can help to remind yourself of what is most important to you and refocus on it.

A desire to do better in areas which are meaningful to us highlights areas for personal growth, which brings a sense of fulfillment. This new awareness brings more clarity and focus, which reduces stress and overwhelm.

Goals I want to reach for my family and marriage, my business, my finances, my health and my education in the upcoming year spun out of this exercise without having to think too hard about it, paving the way for change in the New Year. I feel refreshed and excited.

How did this year bring you closer to the life you want to create?
What would you want to do differently?
Who do you want to be in the situations you face?

Put your life on a new trajectory

An hour of your time spent for conscious examination could put your life on a brand new trajectory, result in more personal fulfillment and accelerate growth in all areas of your life.

Here’s a bonus: once people have more awareness around a topic that matters to them, they start making adjustments in their behavior immediately.
Who knows what kind of progress you might see in your life from the time that you take to review the past year!

I would love to hear from you if you take a moment to review the year. Please share with me what has become clear for you.