You all know how I love to plan and think about why I do what I do that is not limited to or time bound to a timeline such as 1st January of a new year. I have seen many create new year resolutions in the new year which become old by week 2 or 3 and they find themselves back to that feeling that “nothing has changed”.
What I want to share in this edition is to ask you to reflect on your 2022 with 8 questions. At this time of year we are more inclined to want to rest, to let go of things, take on new things, new habits and so on, but taking a moment before we choose to rush on and do the next thing to distract ourselves will be powerful. You will learn so much when you sit with yourself, reflect, journal and ask yourself questions. Reflection is underrated and we rarely stop to reflect on why we choose to do the things we do until or unless we suffer something major such as the loss of a loved one, being rejected in business or for a job / promotion or a significant medical diagnosis. Reflection has been shown to be a powerful tool to set us up for growth and personal development as it will show us what we truly want to embody, embrace and build in our life. It will also help us to feel more prepared with lessons we learn from 2022.
Here are the questions and remember it is not about judging yourself but about awareness and thinking about how we can add those small steps in on a daily basis to help us achieve our big goals in 2023:
What made you happiest this year? What gave you joy this year? Think about what has stood out for you? Look in your photo gallery in your mind or on your phone to remind yourself of these moments. Remember we want to do more of what made you happy. How would you make more time for this? How can we further water this beautiful garden we already have?
What has made you unhappy this year? What took joy away from your life? This may not be in your photo gallery but may be in conversations you had with someone or an experience felt? Look at your own learning and analyse it. It is easy to name names or to blame ourselves harshly – but instead focus on your awareness and learning. Ask if you are making your own decisions with awareness or are you being carried away by a situation? Ask “how did I end up in that situation? What could I have done differently so I can make decisions better and will not here again in 2023?”
What is a challenge you overcame this year? Was it a fear or perhaps something which held you back? Maybe it was something which you felt you didn’t have what it takes but you did it anyway? It can be a big challenge such as your health or a small challenge. For me one of my challenges was my mindset around time and scheduling – I felt I was able to take back control of my schedule in a big way this year. My focus on being productive all the time took away a lot of joy and creativity. This question is important as reflection on how you dealt with a challenge allows you to better process your negative experiences in the future and you get strength to overcome future challenges.
A pivot you had to do to overcome a surprise you dealt with which you didn’t expect. Remember we can’t plan for everything or worry about everything but we can learn from how we reacted to and dealt with these surprises and pivots. For example in business, did you have to pivot to change your niche, did external conditions such as covid rules change the way you did business further, did your jobs get impacted by restructures and so on. Learning how you dealt with these surprises will help you navigate any surprises in 2023.
The best resources you have come across and consumed this year – whether an article, book or podcast. Reflect on why you found them inspiring or helpful for you. This also lets you recommit to your own personal growth in 2023 and to share it with your family, friends, colleagues, clients etc. to help them on their own personal growth journey
What is your biggest success this year? I want you to trace it back to the beginning. This reflection allows you to see how far you have come and how long the process has been as well. It will allow you to ask why some things happened and why some things didn’t on your journey. It is also a great way for you to celebrate your success milestones.
What is the biggest lesson you learnt in 2022? Imagine you are on my podcast and I asked you this question, what would you say? The biggest lesson for me again is around my scheduling – it showed me what I cared about in how I spent my time. It made me ask questions such as “what does my day/ evening/weekend schedule show I cared about? Am I spending time on creating things which make an impact or align with my goals/ purpose? Do I spend quality time with my loved ones doing things which are fun and create memories?”
What have you let go of this year? Or are you still in the process of letting go of something? It may be a person/s, a project, a goal, a job, idea, business. Reflect on why you have let them go and why they no longer served you. Also ask if there is anything else you want to let go of before the year end closes. This will create new energy for you in the new year.
One last exercise before I wrap up: think of a word of intention for the year ahead for you, rather than focusing just on resolutions. A word that encompasses what you want the new year to bring or what you want to be your focus. Each and every person’s word will be unique to them. The words are a reflection of our individual personalities, lives and goals which will in turn help navigate the year ahead and keep us moving in the right direction.
Some words many of my clients have spoken about this year are….
Growth
Fun
Boundaries
Courage
Love
Kindness
Adventure
Freedom
Flow
Resilience
Ease
Family
Creativity
Abundance
Once you have identified your word/s, keep them at the start of your journal in a prominent place where they can constantly serve as a reminder of what you want 2023 to bring. If you have a vision board you could also add them there in creative ways.
Don’t forget to tune in to the final TWP Podcast episode (Ep. 20) for Season 1 as well where I share the above reflections and provide you with further examples and depth to some of the above.
Finally, thank you for all your support throughout 2022 and for being such an incredible community in the TWP world. Wishing you and your family a happy and safe Christmas and New Year and may 2023 bring you much joy, success, peace and calm.
Big love
Nat xo
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