Tip 52: 'Tis the Season … for Reflection

Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,
with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us.
Hal Borland

While everyone is frantically busy in the run-up to Christmas, the space between Christmas and the end of the year can be a great time to take a step back and reflect on the ups and downs of the past year, see what lessons there are to be learned, and to make some plans for the coming year.

For those who really want to get their teeth into this, Jinny Ditzler's book Your Best Year Yet, takes you through the process using ten specific steps. Here are a few to get you started.

First, make an extensive list of all you've achieved during this current year. Include absolutely everything, big or small. If you do nothing else at the end of the year I strongly recommend you do this. You'll be surprised at the number of things you have achieved and how good it feels to acknowledge them.

Secondly, consider anything that didn't go as well as you'd hoped, or things you'd intended to do but didn't. What can you learn from this? Can you take this learning into next year to ensure you don't make the same mistakes again?

Thirdly, consider what you would like your focus to be in the coming year. What will your priorities be? What's really important to you? What successes do you want to build on? Are there things in your life that you'd like to drop altogether? Is it time to make some radical changes?

Having done that, come up with a list of your Top Ten Goals for the coming year. Ditzler suggests that when pondering these goals it can help to consider all the different roles you play in your life (partner, sibling, parent, employee, employer, community member, sports team member, volunteer etc) and link your goals to these roles. Don't forget to include goals that relate to your role as ‘yourself’ as well … This helps to make sure you get a good balance between work and rest.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room,
drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.
Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk
through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws,
but for potential.
Ellen Goodman

Cheers to a new year and another chance
for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey