I absolutely love the transition into a new year. Don’t get me wrong, you will most likely find me sound asleep for hours by midnight on NYE most years. I don’t think I own any clothing with sequins or sparkles. Nothing about late nights, fancy clothing, or partying is really up my aisle. Stopping to reflect on a whole year and set some intentions for a new one, though? That is my JAM.
The week between Christmas and New Year is one of my favorites of the whole year. Everything feels a little slower. It’s cold here in Ohio, and the romance of a snowy Christmas has passed. Most people don’t work very much during that week. I absolutlely love taking time that week to reflect. I think it is a fantastic way to honor a year that is passing, and set yourself up with intention in the New Year.
I get so disappointed when most people talk about New Years; the resolutions, the diets, the “new year, new me” garbage…it all seems like a set up. There isn’t something about turning a calendar page that will morph you into a new person, and we know that most resolutions fail. Don’t even get me started on the diet industry preying on us every year. Setting an intention, though, can be so powerful!
The key, I think, to reflecting and setting intentions in a powerful and life-giving way is rooted in self-compassion. It is so easy for reflection to slide into self-criticism and beating yourself up for goals you didn’t hit or things you should have done. It’s easy to focus on what was hard or heavy about the year and feel weighed down by it. True reflection, though, is really just looking at where you are now, where you were then, and noticing the differences without judgment (I laughed a little as I typed that at how simple this sounds and how deeply difficult it really is…). To give it a shot, here are a few questions to get you started:
· What growth have you seen in yourself this year?
· What was unexpected about this year for you?
· What would Last Year You be impressed about This Year You?