Closing Out the Year and Embracing the New
New Year’s is one of my favorite holidays. It could be the promise of a clean slate. It could be the refreshing energy that you feel waking up to a brand, New Year. It could be because my birthday is in January. It could be because we typically dance in the New Year with friends or family.
Whatever the reason, the New Year can bring you a time of deep reflection and an opportunity to guide your journey in the direction of your dreams. But only if you direct it. I believe that you are in the driver’s seat on your journey and you have the power to control your destiny. When we stop thinking about life as happening to us and believe that we can direct it with our goals and action, we propel ourselves closer to our vision and fulfilling our purpose.
Here is my own ritual for closing out the year and embracing a new one.
Step 1: Reflect and review each month of the past year.
Look through your calendar or read through your journal. As you review, observe what your lessons were in those specific months. Write them down. Here are questions you can ask yourself during this reflective time:
What were my challenges?
What obstacles did I overcome?
What lessons did I learn?
What am I proud of accomplishing?
Step 2: After reviewing each month, write down the major theme or lesson of the month (or season) in your journal.
If you don’t see a specific challenge or accomplishment for each month of your year, look at the season. What clarity did Winter bring you? What blossomed for you in Spring? How did you spend your beautiful, sunny days of Summer? What did you reap and sow in the Fall?
Step 3: Ask yourself, what lesson do I need to continue in the coming year?
Sometimes our lessons are not so easy and we need to continue working through them, and that’s OK. Setting and holding personal boundaries is one of mine. As a mother, wife, caregiver and entrepreneur it is essential that I have personal boundaries in place or things don’t get done. One major lesson for me this year was around managing my energy and commitments. I found myself spread too thin and needed to take some time off to replenish myself and in so doing found more success and stamina for my business, my clients, my home and my family. I know to be the best version of myself in 2016 and to grow my business, I need to continue to manage my commitments and energy through self-care and personal boundaries. Delegation is also key and I plan on creating my power team of support both in business and in life in 2016.
What lesson do you need to continue in 2016? Write this in your journal on a fresh page, put it on a Post-It Note by your desk or create a vision board around this. Keep them top of mind, pray for guidance in the coming year and work with a mentor, friend or mastermind sister to fully integrate these lessons into your life.
Step 4: What lesson can you let go of and release in 2015?
Review steps 1 and 2. What do you feel you have accomplished this year? These aren’t always necessarily an outward goal or success like buying a new home or launching a new program. These can be your internal wins and celebrations.
For me this year, it was about getting present. Multi-tasking tends to come easy to us women… but that doesn’t mean we should give in to it. I found this year that when I removed social media from my phone (I am talking about you, Facebook) I allowed myself to be more present wherever I was. For example a few days before Christmas I was in line at the post office and noticed everyone around me was glued to their phones. Instead of breaking mine out, I found myself observing a quiet type of peace that I don’t typically find while waiting in line. I had the space to think, to be and to enjoy the present moment. My children, especially, have noticed a change when I am with them and I can be more focused, present and attentive. I believe getting present this year has allowed me to grow and nurture my relationships and my business.
When you are ready to let go and release these lessons, I invite you to write them down on a piece of paper and burn them (safely), rip them up or write a letter of release. You can also do a visualization where you put the lessons or items into a bubble and then release them into the air to float away and never return. This ritual will close out the lessons and bring your soul a sense of closure and satisfaction.
Step 5: What do you wish to birth in 2016?
This will be your theme and intention for the New Year. I typically write this question out in my journal and ten allow it to percolate over a few days. Sometimes I am hit with inspiration (usually on New Year’s Eve) and other times I need to sit with this question for some time. This year especially it has been a softer voice within that whispers to me in the quiet moments of the winter nights.
In 2015 my vision was clear. I was on the path to transition from a Certified Online Business Manager running successful online coaching companies to becoming a Transformational Coach. This time last year I had met and started my year-long coach training program with Gina DeVee and was on track to acquire the coaching skills and experience I had been desiring for a few years. Despite family obligation and circumstances, I stayed true to my course to birth my own coaching business and become the Coach I wish I had hired myself a few years ago.
As I look ahead at 2016 I desire to launch the programs that women on the verge of birthing their own creative, beloved (online) businesses will need to propel them forward. If you would like to be the first to know when our first Soulful Sistermind Group starts, sign up here.
As I close out this transformational year and embrace the New Year ahead, I wish you time to reflect on your own journey and the time, dedication and personal commitment to make 2016 a true success inside and out.
I’d love to hear your vision for 2016. Leave a comment below to share. When we share, we declare our intentions and stake a claim with the Universe. Remember, we are here in full support of each other, to midwive our dreams together.
Happy New Year!