Maybe this year was shiny, bright, and amazing. Maybe it was 12 months you’d rather forget. But as the New Year hovers just around the corner, regardless of how this one went, you need to figure out what you need to learn and grow from for the future.
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at reflecting on the past year by month to month breakdown (click here to read that article); in this article we are going to look at reflecting on the past year by examining different areas of life.
Looking back on the year is not about beating yourself up and seeing what you need to do better. It’s about rejoicing, even if you have plenty to rejoice about; a job, good friends, daily meals. It can be tough to know where to start. Or it can feel all too easy to dwell on disappointments.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to always want to look towards the future or am always moving towards the next task, event or tick on my “to-do-list”. We don’t often take enough time to think about why we succeeded at something, never mind celebrate.
We also struggle to evaluate our mistakes and failures because it is hard and sometimes painful. It forces us to take a look at ourselves and face things that we might not like. Both sides are equal parts challenging, frustrating, motivating and rewarding but all are vital to goal setting.
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By taking some time to evaluate 2022 you are already setting yourself up for a more proactive approach to 2023.
Technique Two: Different Areas of Life Review
- Find a quiet place and block off about 30 minutes.
It’s important to not have any electronics near you for distraction. Find a peaceful place where you won’t be distracted and use this time to really focus on your thoughts.
2. Let your imagination wander.
For the first few minutes, simply let your mind wander back on the year. What were the happy moments? The sad moments? What was the best part of your vacation? Did you start a new job? When did you cry the loudest? Laugh the hardest? Bullet point few notes of the different things that happened throughout the year to be able to refer to when you do this exercise.
[Read this blog post about HOW TO DISCIPLINE YOUR MIND FOR GREATER SUCCESS]
3. Ask yourself: What type of movie would last year be?
Would the film be a documentary because you learned a lot? Was it a hapless rom-com of failed dates and hilarious friends’ nights? Was it an action film filled with exciting adventures? Or perhaps it was a drama because, well, the year made you sad?
Write down what genres your past year would reflect and jot down some points as to why you feel this way. Once you have done this, ask yourself if you are happy with this genre and what genre would you prefer 2022 to be.
These thoughts will assist you when doing the exercises for creating your new years resolutions and next years goals.
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Here are some ideas for the different types of genres your year may be like:
| Action | Family | Romance |
| Adventure | Animation | Biography |
| Comedy | Crime | Documentary |
| Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi |
| Film Noir | Short | History |
| Sport | Horror | Superhero |
| Music | Thriller | Musical |
| War | Mystery | Western |
4. Write down one accomplishment from each area of your life.
Write down something you’re proud of from:
- Your personal life:
- Your hobbies
- What you do in your spare time
- Your friends
2. Your family life:
- Your children,
- Your relationships with your siblings
- How much time you spend with your family
- How often you talk to your parents
3. Professional life:
- Your relationships with your colleagues
- Your time management of your projects
- Your relationship with your boss
- Your success rate of accomplishing your projects to completion
4. Romantic life:
- Your relationship with your partner
- The time spent with that person
- What have you contributed towards the relationship
- How have you worked on the relationship
- If you are single and would like a partner, what have to done to get a partner in your life
5. Physical life:
- What exercise do you do
- How much sleep do you get
- Do you drink enough water
- Do you use moisturisers
- What do you do to keep looking young
- How is your diet
- What are you doing to look after your appearance
- Have you been looking after yourself
6. Spiritual life:
- What are you doing to do the right things
- What are your thought patterns
- How are you contributing back to the community
- Do you make time for a spiritual connection
7. Financial life:
- How are you saving
- What are you investing in
- What are you doing to get more income
- How much have you educated yourself on financial principals.
While doing this exercise, I’m sure some negative behaviours might have come to mind, this will make you aware of
what behaviours to stop in the year to come. But looking at the positive aspects, will make you realise that you can give yourself a pat on the back and keep reinforcing those positive behaviours in 2023.
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The important thing to remember is that when doing any of these exercises, ensure that you are writing your thoughts down and not just thinking them; since this will be helpful when I guide you through how to ensure that your new years resolutions stick and how to ensure that you achieve your goals for 2020. Remember if you need extra help with how to write goals and what steps to take to achieve them, then click HERE
In the next article, we will be looking at reflecting on your previous year in more detail. Click here for Reflecting on The Past Year: Part 3 of 3
