New Year's Eve naturally lends itself to a time of both reflection and celebration.
I typically enjoy this time of year and spend time engaging in review, setting goals, and looking forward. I find it valuable to look back on where I’ve come from and clarify what I want in the coming year. I have a pretty good practice I’ve developed reviewing the last year, clarifying my goals and intentions for the coming year, and focusing my attention with a vision board and a word-of-the-year.
Reflect on the past year
As you end this new year and move on to the next, I encourage you to take some time to review, to contemplate, to meditate.
Once Christmas is over, it’s easy to speed forward with gusto want to detox your system from all the holiday indulgence. I’m a future-oriented thinker, so I love planning, goal-setting, and getting stoked about what lies ahead.
But ease your foot onto the brake for a day or two. Give yourself space and freedom to reflect on the past year.
I’m all for starting a fresh new year, dreaming up ideas, finding that one special word, or whatever helps you clean out the cobwebs in the corners. But all this is more meaningful when you remember the bends in the road behind you.
Honor the past year by celebrating your joys, mourning your losses, and shaking your head at the wonder of it all.
Good or bad, isn’t it amazing another year has passed?
Whatever you’re doing to celebrate, New Year’s Eve is a great day for reflection. A whole year has passed since the last one. You’re a year older. Are you a year wiser?
Use your last few hours of the year to reflect on the past 365 days.
“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald
20 Questions for New Year’s Eve
- What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
- What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
- What was an unexpected joy this past year?
- What was an unexpected obstacle?
- Pick three words to describe this past year.
- How did you experience healing this year?
- How did you experience love this year?
- What were the best books you read this year?
- Who were your most valuable relationships with?
- What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
- In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
- In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
- In what way(s) did you grow physically?
- In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
- What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
- What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
- What was your single biggest time-waster in your life this past year?
- What was the best way you used your time this past year?
- What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?
- Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.
