Finding Your Reflection
There’s a reminder on my calendar. Each year, about this time, I find a quiet place to decompress. I put my phone on leave “me the fuck alone” and reflect on the passing year.
Maybe there’s a cup of hot cocoa or some mulled wine, a warm blanket, and yoga pants. Sometimes I do the process with close friends.
This ritual evolves over a few hours and always starts with a good pen and the perfect journal. Gwyneth Paltrow was not invited.
Your Questions
- What did I plan to achieve earlier this year? What were my goals? My mindset then? AKA: Was I stable or a messy slut?
- Did I acheive those goals? Did I accomplish what I wanted? Often I look at my 5/25 list.
- Did my behaviors align with my values? Did my values evolve or solidify further?
- Did I remind the people who are so important to my story that they matter?
- What were my wins? What challenges did I overcome? What good memories stand out the most? What did I improve?
- And for me, this is the MOST important of all: What lessons were gained from this year?
Because this time is more about reflection, I don’t spend a lot of it thinking about detailed goals. I touch on them at a high level.
Moreover, I think about what I want the coming year to represent. Maybe success in a new professional area, or building a better skill, or perhaps it means I wish to spend time traveling or building new experiences with friends.
This is a good time to brainstorm and think about what milestones would add value to your life.
Don’t get caught up in the details. This is about vision.
Some inspiration:
- Take a look at your 50,000 photos you captured but didn’t do shit with.
- Check your calendar/events from the past year, anything surprising?
- What about old emails or texts… anything stand out?
Keep or Delete
Once a bit of that has settled. It’s time to clear out some junk too. Go through your contacts, emails, digital notes, photos and clear some space. Archive old content and put it in a special place such as the dumpster where it belongs ;-)
Some words to think about: Balance, Kindness, Love, Passion, Strength, Growth, Resilience, Mess, Courage, Drunk, Sloppy, Bitchy, etc.
