On the 7th day of Christmas… 🙂 Merry Christmas!
We’re about to step into 2025 and it’s time again for the infamous New Year’s Resolutions. Whether those work or not that is another discussion, now very much worth having.
One helpful thing people did across ages was to evaluate how the past year has been. In times of old it was based on the amount of crops harvested, the weather, and whether there’s been any big losses in the family /community. And new hopes and wishes were echoed in the hearts and greetings, as people cast their eyes upon new horizons, setting new goals or just tweaking the old ones. To a great degree that is true today.
It took me a while to appreciate the value of this practice. My approach was to just go with the flow, and kinda bury my head in the sand when hit with future related questions.
So, how do you make it a year of Possibility and Growth in your life? Personally? Financially? Emotionally? Spiritually? In relationships?
Let me share 7 questions that I put together to guide my commitments and aims for this new year. I found it useful to organise it in three parts: 1. looking back and evaluating my parkour so far, 2. being with how I honestly feel about it, and 3. becoming clear about where I’m going and what do I need to keep the momentum. You can ask them separately in all five areas mentioned above and any you might want to add. So… here we go.
Looking Back
1. What was great this year? What have I accomplished? How I moved forward?
2. What was really challenging this past year? How did that impact me?
3. Where did I want to be in three years time to now? How far I’ve come?
The point here is not to make you feel bad, but rather focus on the progress. The journey towards our goals are rarely a straightforward road. We constantly evaluate and reorient. So, if you can treat any progress and/or lack of it with equanimity and just curious to notice, this is the way to go.
Being With What Is
4. How does it all make me feel? What am I proud of or grateful for? Disappointed?
Be honest with yourself. Acknowledge each feeling and stay with it. Notice also your inner critic. Be kind to whatever you’re experiencing, whether is contentment, joy, disappointment, anger, sadness, etc.
Looking Forward….
5. What do i wish to accomplish in this coming year?
Don’t focus on how, (you will do it later) rather envision it and be specific. Think of 1 to 3 major things. Then the trick later is to accomplish it one at a time.
6. What do I want to avoid happening this year?
Our minds tend to work better by focusing on what they don’t want, so this should be an easy one.
7. What are 3 choices I make today and commit to towards these goals/intentions?
Often we get stuck and overwhelmed with too much information, or which direction to go. Making a choice and acting on it, will open up to us the next door. For best, write it down in a statement, and set up a reminder for first steps you will take. Review & recommit regularly.
Who are the people I will let influence and motivate me on my path this year?
Choose a role-model, be it via a YouTube channel, a podcast or a real person in your life you will check with daily. Set a reminder.
This exercise might take some time, depending on how much thought you’ve given to your future goals prior to this. Take your time. If you feel defeated by how little things have progressed for you looking back, remember, it rarely goes according to plan for anyone. We need to leave room for chance, grace, luck, divine intervention or whatever you may want to call that thing, when we recognise not everything is dependent on us, and that it is OK.
Make these year’s resolutions far reaching and enriching!
Wishing you wholeheartedly a Fabulous New Year of Possibility!
