2022 in Review
It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of 2022. Every year feels faster than the last. The good news is that with the end of another year means another opportunity for reflection. We have mentioned in previous end of the year blogs how important reflection is and this year is no different.
Reflection is the key to personal growth and new ideas. Without looking back, you will have trouble to see not only what you did, but what you didn’t get to do. Once you make this realization you can carry it with you into the new year and have the chance to incorporate these missed opportunities.
There are many different ways that you can reflect on your past year and in this week’s blog we are going to tell you a few of those ways:
- Write yourself a letter: This involves writing yourself a letter on December 31 each year then sealing it up until the following December 31st. In doing this you have a full personal letter, hand written to yourself, that encompasses your past year. You can write about the events that took place in the past year or just your overall emotions towards it. Whatever the case may be, this letter is yours to customize. This is also an amazing habit to create each year because in time you will have dozens of letters to reflect back on. This is also a fun project to have the kids try as well. The younger that you begin this reflection habit, the more you will have to look back as time advances.
- Active recall: Active reflection is a beneficial way to look back on your year. This is not something that may be for everyone because it involves a state of mediation. Proper active recall involves sitting alone with yourself in your mind and concentrating on your year. Bringing memories into the forefront of your mind. This can be challenging for some people, but for others it is beneficial. Actively recalling your year is a way to not only strengthen your mind, but also practice mediation as it involves serious in-depth thought on your past. Try not to recall just the good or bad times, but of everything that happened this past year.
- Capture images: This is one of the easiest ways to reflect on your year mainly because it is uncommon to not have some kind of phone that has the ability to take pictures. The best way to be able to reflect on your year through images is to capture at least one picture each day. This picture can be of your meal, your outfit, maybe what you did, or anything that just brings you joy. You will be surprised at how much you can remember when you look back onto a singular image. Then when the year finally ends you will have at least 365 photos to look back on and reflect. Some people may even chose to create a scrap book of the images to really seal them into time.
- Keep a journal: This is probably one of the most popular ways to reflect on the year. Simply purchase a notebook or grab a few sheets of paper and each morning or night recap the main events of your day. You can write about good days, bad days, or even just days that you spent at home doing nothing. Whatever the case may be, reflecting back onto your days each night or morning is a good way to keep yourself mindful and grounded. The journal, much like the letters, will give you and your family something to look back on as time advances. There are people who have journaled all their life and have dozens of notebooks filled with entries on their lives. Writing a journal is an intimate way to reflect and encompass the events in your life.
These are just a few ways that you can reflect back onto your year, there are many more and they can be individualized based on your hobbies and preferences. Regardless of how you chose to reflect back on your year, the important thing is that you find time to do it. Reflection is the best way to look and see what worked during this year and what didn’t work, that way you can start to incorporate certain changes in your up and coming year. For example, let say that you had the goal of starting your own side business. Create a list of all the things that you did in order to get closer to that goal, then decide what worked and what didn’t work. You can then use this information for new growth in the new year. The same theory goes for just about anything in your life. The art of reflection can help you to truly see what you accomplished and help you make new decisions in the new year. We wish you all happy, healthy and prosperous 2023!!
