At the end of every year my husband and I go through the process of doing what we call “closing the year”. We really enjoy the process of looking back at what we’ve accomplished and learned, and get ready for a great new year ahead. We do an annual photo book {we use Mixbook} to catalog our events, travels, life and to reminisce. We close out the budget for the year and plan to next year. We take a look at where we are in life with our family, career and overall goals {that we set last December}. We really enjoy this time and even though we may not have hit all our goals, we don’t beat ourselves up either because by “closing out the year” we can actually see all the things we HAVE accomplished! I thought I’d share our process with you. I hope it helps and you find some great tips for you to use as you start a fresh new year. We suggest you spend some quiet time doing each or some of the following steps:
1. Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted {aka no kids or TV or technology}. Turn off your phones. Turn off the TV. Take the kiddos to Grandmas. Turn on some great “mind music”. Grab a pen and some paper or a white board, like we do. Write your accomplishments from the year. Research has proven over and over that writing is so much more effective than typing this stuff into a computer. Use pictures too – we do an annual photo book – super fun.
2. Catalog your Wins. Take a look back at all the things you’ve accomplished and the great experiences you’ve had this year. Spend a few minutes making a list of everything you’ve managed to achieve. Write them all down … the big ones and the little ones. Again, use photos if you want to visualize it. This is your 2012 “Wins or Victory List.” You might be surprised at just how much you’ve accomplished in just twelve months. Saying, “I have accomplished nothing”, is not an option. You are still breathing and that is something! Be your own cheerleader right now and resist the urge to self-bash. This is not a selfish act or a time to be super critical of yourself. This is a powerful exercise to show all that you’ve accomplished this year.
3. Rid your life of dream squashers. Take a serious look at the things you no longer want in your life; make a list of all the things you’d like to leave behind. We all have things that get in our way. We have things in our lives that are long past their ‘use by’ date. We call them “dream squashers”. These “dream squashers” just drain your energy. What have you tolerated (and continue to tolerate) that drain you of energy? Are you willing to get those things out of your life for good … right now? They include physical objects, poor habits, limiting beliefs, thought patterns that hurt us and others, and yes, even people we no longer choose to spend time with.
4. Dream. Think about your dreams for the future. What do you really want to bring into your life? What experiences would you like to enjoy? What new skills would you like to learn? What would you like to do? How would you like to be? Make notes or draw a picture to help you remember your dreams. Here’s where you might want to spend more than five or ten minutes. Take as much time as you like dreaming about the future you desire. See it in your mind. Make vivid pictures of the way you want it to be. If you don’t know what you want, you can ask yourself the ‘lottery question’: “If you won the lottery or you woke up tomorrow with everything in your life exactly the way you would dream it could be, how would you see, feel and hear that would let you know a something had changed – what would your life look like? What are the things, experiences, qualities, and ways of being you’d like to experience more of in the future. Make a list of these. These can be quite general: Spend more time with your family? Get fitter? Earn more? Learn more?
Spend more time in the present moment? List the things you’d like to attract into your life.
5. Write down your goals for next year. What would you like to accomplish? What would you like to learn? What would you like to get? Who would you like to meet? In what ways would you like to grow? What are you committed to this year that you did not do last year? There are all sorts of claims made about the power of goal setting, but I’m going to spare you the rhetoric. Instead, I’ll make a blindingly obvious point: you have a much better chance of hitting a target when you know what it is. Human neurology is goal-seeking — so access your incredibly powerful unconscious mind — and make a list of what you’d like to achieve in 2013.
6. Read through your list of last year’s wins/accomplishments. Congratulate yourself for everything you did right. Put this list (#2) on your left. Read through the list of things you’d like to leave behind. Forgive yourself for any mistakes you feel you’ve made, and put this list (#3) on your left also. Take the materials relating to your dreams (#4), and place them in front of you. Review the list of things you’d like to attract into your life, and put this list (#5) on your right. Read through your goals for the year ahead, then put this list (#6) on your right also. Imagine all the good feelings, thoughts and energies from your accomplishments coming into your body.
7. Change something-anything. We all get stuck from time to time. We don’t like change because it’s uncomfortable. We can so easily get stuck in a routine that makes our lives dull and boring. Getting stuck is normal, staying stuck leads to failure! Routines can drain us of energy. They stifle creativity. They keep us from moving forward. They cause us to live in fear of change when we should embrace it. What should you change?
It really doesn’t matter. It can be a new hairstyle, a route to work, a new running trail, re-arrange furniture, clean up your office, decluttter, add one new veggie a week, go meatless once a week, swap soda for sparkling water….just change something-anything….and keep making small changes as you can. So sart over, make your life fresh again! It feels good and produces great results.
8. Forgive. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. When you can forgive a wrong doing, a huge weight can be lifted and in some cases major healing can happen. Who can you forgive today? Forgive someone who may have hurt you. Even if they are dead
wrong. Wipe the slate clean. The biggest mistake we can make is to go into a new year with old baggage. Reconcile all damaged relationships as fast as you can. It isn’t easy … but it could be the most important thing you do all year. Forgive yourself! So what, you weren’t perfect in 2012 and you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted to. No one else did either! Forgive yourself and try not to make the same mistakes again. You are a human being becoming … and you are special. Go to your mirror every morning for the next 365 days … look at yourself in that mirror and say 10 times, “I love you”. Silly? I don’t think so.
9) Put your family first. Commit to putting your family first in your life. You have a lot going on in your life. If you are on the fast track to success, you can easily take your family for granted. When the dust clears from all that striving, the things that matter most have to do with your family. These are the people who love you the most. How would you score yourself in 2012 for building a close and loving family? Our days are numbered. Commit to being the catalyst for a closer family. Don’t wait for the phone to ring … call everyone in your family right now and tell them how much you love them.
10. Commit to a life of gratitude. The only road to true and lasting happiness is gratitude. Spend more time being grateful and less time being critical. I struggle with this – that is for sure. It isn’t that I’m not grateful … I just see so much that could be better and I want to fix it. From time to time I get a little caught up in “what’s wrong” and I tend to forget to be thankful for “what’s right”. I have to remind myself … every day is a gift and tomorrow is promised to no one. Make a list of 20 things you are most grateful for. If you get on a roll, just keep writing. I’m serious. This is a powerful exercise and a great way to start a new year. Gratitude enriches your life in ways you may not even know.
I hope this process helps you on your journey to closing out 2012 and planning for 2013! Best of luck and let’s make 2013 the best year ever! May it be the beginning of the life you’ve always dreamed.
Photos updated 10-11-13:
Image credit: docer2000 / 123RF Stock Photo
Image credit: bloomua / 123RF Stock Photo