I remember there was a time that I dreaded these last few weeks of the year. I would talk to friends and say things like, “I just want to turn the page already” or “I’m looking forward to a fresh start.” It was as if a new calendar year held more power than the present moment. I was unhappy with where I was at so I put all my hopes into what was next.
Truthfully, it is not only about starting the year strong but also about how you end your year. Ending the year without acknowledging your growth and your biggest learnings takes away the gift of self-awareness.
It is truly the gift that keeps on giving because when you have self-awareness, you free yourself.
Some of my deepest learnings have come from honest conversations I have had with others and with myself. The biggest shifts came for me when I decided to take responsibility for my life. Taking responsibility means choosing to learn from my experiences, my actions and the happenings of life rather than staying in a cycle of shaming myself and blaming others.
Responsibility might sound like a heavy word, one that might include guilt + fear but it is actually about learning. Giving yourself permission to learn, to make mistakes, to reflect and to take that GOLD with you in the next experience. The question to ask yourself is “what did I learn from that experience or this past year? What are the biggest takeaways?” And a following questions might be, “what would it look like to do it more authentically next time?”
Taking time at the end of the year to see yourself with loving eyes and list all the changes and growth you have chosen for yourself, at your own unique space, will not only boost your confidence for the coming year but will guide you to see yourself in a new light.
The old thinking repeats all the things that you are not, all the mistakes and disappointments and broken hearts, a new light born from self-awareness will show you what you have learned and who you are becoming in the process.
If nothing is coming up, look deeper. We are constantly changing and growing. The notion that nothing has changed or everything is stuck is untrue. It may be that what you are looking for is not in the big picture but in the layers that build it. We often want to see our growth in a paycheck or something else that is tangible or numerical, however, you have to find it within yourself rather than on the outside. The outer dreams and accomplishments are only possible once you work on seeing these inner pieces.
Letting go of old ways of being is a challenge, however the gift of self-reflection helps us to bring more and more awareness into each moment and each experience. This is not possible if we don’t pause and notice. It doesn’t happen when our eyes are only on tomorrow or next year.
