RELECT, REVIEW, RENEW, RECHARGE AND RESUME
When any year comes to a close, we’re filled with a level of excitement in us that only surfaces at this time of year. What is the reason for this excitement?
Traditionally, the New Year is all about fresh starts, new beginnings, a point of reference which we use to make some changes and looking ahead at our future with hopeful optimism. And it’s the time for a major overhaul of your life.
Did 2020 match up to your expectations? Or was it a “I am glad to see the back of it” kind of year. But wait. Don’t write off the year yet. We tend to think too much of what could have been and miss the learning which is in front of us Remember, there is a lesson to be learned from each failure too.. We fail to take in the good and bad moments that made us who we are.
It’s necessary and important that we take the time to reflect, take stock acknowledge our challenges, difficulties and our successes. It helps us see where we have grown and what directions we would like to take next. It’s a great way to recall your best moments, savour big and not so big moments and take the learnings from it.
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” Margaret J. Wheatley
Reflection raises your self-awareness, helping you understand more about yourself and your reactions, helps you remain committed to your goals, your vision and your purpose. So, as head towards the end of this year, commit to spend some time with yourself for introspection, get yourself a pen and paper and make a list with the three headings
- What worked well for you?
- What do you want to remove from your life?
- What can you do to make it better
One of the best ways to review your year is by asking yourself questions. Here are some questions to get you started.
- How did I grow in the past year?
- What was the single biggest challenge I overcame?
- What was the best thing I learned?
- What was the important goal I achieved this year?
- What was my fitness and physical achievement this year?
- How did my career go?
- How did I fare in my relationships?
- What was I most grateful for? Is there anyone I have to acknowledge and express my gratitude to?
- What new things I discovered about myself?
- What was my single biggest time waster this year? What can I do differently in the future to eliminate or minimise it?
- What lessons I learned from the mistakes I made?
This list is to get you started. As you start writing, you will find yourself adding many more points which are unique to you.
Reflecting on what you took from 2020, whether you experienced successes or became a stronger person for the difficulties you underwent. You should now have a better understanding of what your proud of, what makes you happy, who is your support network, what is holding you back and where your strengths are. It helps you refocus and helps you plan your progress towards where it is that you want to go in your life.
And remember, if things have not gone as per expectations this year, don’t stress yourself. Start planning to make small changes first if big changes are not immediately possible. You will be surprised how far you can go.
The objective of this exercise isn’t to berate ourselves. It’s to let us know if we have lived this year the best we can, and if not, what we can do to make the next year better
