Unlock Your Best Year Yet: 4 Easy Steps to Reflect on Your Past and Propel You into the Future
Happy new year! Can you believe it’s already 2024? As we bask in the energy of the new year, I know many of us are eager to set ambitious goals and resolutions for the year ahead. The excitement of a fresh start can be intoxicating, but before we get carried away looking to the future, it's crucial to take a step back and reflect on the past 12 months. Let’s delve into the importance of looking back, understanding the lessons learned, celebrating your victories and avoiding the repetition of past mistakes to make 2024 your best year yet!
The metaphor of the rearview mirror serves as a powerful reminder here, much like when we’re driving a car, we need to glance backward to navigate the road ahead successfully. The idea is simple yet profound – looking back allows us to gain perspective, learn from our experiences, and move forward with newfound wisdom.
The beginning of a new year often feels like a paradox – a swift passage of time combined with a multitude of transformative experiences. Reflecting on the entirety of the past year helps put personal growth into perspective, providing evidence of how far we've come, or maybe how far you haven’t come…. You may look back at your past 12 months and think ‘I am in the exact same position as 12 months ago, and that is NOT where I want to be’. Whichever side of the coin you land looking back and conducting this reflection exercise of your past 12 months will give you the fuel you need to propel you forward into the year ahead, to ensure it is your BEST YEAR YET!
Research from Harvard Business Review emphasises that the habit of reflection is the foundation from which essential soft skills grow. Whether it's communication, empathy, creativity, time management, or problem-solving, the thousands of events within a year offer lessons and opportunities for growth.
I love taking time at the end/start of the year to reflect and reset, having said that this reflection exercise is a powerful practice to adopt at any time of year. You might like to do a quarterly, or 6 monthly reflection to check in with yourself and allow the opportunity to course correct. Here are 4 easy steps you can take today to conduct a reflection of your own allowing you to say good bye to the energy of 2023.
Reflect - Grab your phone, diary, calendar and/or journal and look back month by month starting with January (or whatever month it is 12 months from now) go through day by day to see what you did, who you were with and how you felt. I use my journal as a guide more so than reading through every entry, I find my photos and calendar to be the most helpful to remind me of what went on.
Subheadings - As I go through day by day I list moments of interest and put them under the below subheadings, go with your gut on this, use language that resonates with you.
Lit up-did something happen that lit my soul on fire. Gave me that excited feeling that sometimes result in a little squeal on my part
Proud - did i feel a sense of pride, either while I was going something or interacting with someone. It’s likely that its not until now looking back that these moments of pride are revealed.
Adventure - I class this as times I felt adventurous and made new memories, thats usually associated with exploring new places for me.
Lessons - The lessons I learnt along the way. They may have been positive or negative interactions or feeling that I can now see i've learnt a valuable lesson from going through that experience, knowing I can do better or be better in the future.
Yuck energy - things that occurred that made me feel un easy, that feeling you just want to shake it off.
Moments of impact - These are the pivotal moments that stand out, these may fit in other lists too such as a lessons and impact who you’ve become/becoming. These are often not obvious if you do this reflection exercise monthly, they usually stand out when you have time and space around them to see their impact.
Summaries each month - Go through each month and jot down the over all themes and energy of the month so you can understand at a glance what went on and how you were feeling
Let go with gratitude -reflection isn't just about acknowledging the past – it's also about saying goodbye with gratitude. Expressing gratitude for the lessons, challenges, and triumphs clears the path for a fresh start in the new year.
As we embark on the journey that is 2024, let's take a moment to look back, learn, and grow. The road ahead is filled with possibilities, and by reflecting on the rearview mirror of our lives, we pave the way for a purposeful and fulfilling future.
Happy reflecting!
With love and gratitude,
Claire xx
Amplify Your Purpose
I am so excited to announce that I am releasing my first online course soon called ‘Amplify Your Purpose!’
This is a transformative 14 lesson online journey to give you profound clarity of your dream life. This empowering course provides you with the essential tools and confidence to take decisive action to align to your purpose infused dream life.
I am so proud to bring you this course, it's glittered with potent manifestation tools, guided meditations, video lessons, actionable steps and so much love! You will finish this course transformed, with a deep understanding of your purpose, which is your reason for being and you’ll be so clear on where your going on your journey to creating your dream life.
Tune into our ‘amplify your purpose’ podcast series on the inspiration to creation podcast to find out more.
