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Michael E. Angier
http://successnet.org
In order
to embrace the new, we must release the old. A trapeze artist cannot
swing from one bar to another without letting go. An important part
of preparing for the New Year is to review the past year — to
release it — and to learn from it.…
T he
following questions should stimulate your thinking for this process.
I hope that you take time out of your busy schedule this holiday
season to ponder where you are and where you’ve been. Talk with
people you care about. Write out your thoughts and feelings. Do some
journaling. Consider writing a letter — an end-of the-year-epistle
to yourself. It could be profound to write it and valuable to read
it in the years ahead.
Reflect
upon what you did, how you felt, what you liked, what you didn’t and
what you learned. Try to look at yourself and your experience with
as much objectivity as you can — much like a biographer would.
Here
are some suggestions to get you started in mulling over the past
year — perhaps the last decade. Feel free to add your own.
- What did I learn? (skills, knowledge, awareness, etc.)
- What did I accomplish? A list of my wins and achievements.
- What would I have done differently? Why?
- What did I complete or release? What still feels incomplete
to me?
- What were the most significant events of the year past? List
the top three.
- What did I do right? What do I feel especially good about?
What was my greatest contribution?
- What were the fun things I did? What were the not-so-fun?
- What were my biggest challenges/roadblocks/difficulties?
- How am I different this year than last?
- For what am I particularly grateful?
Another
Suggestion: Consider listing all the
things in your life of which you’d like to let go — anything you no
longer want. Give thanks for what they’ve brought you in terms of
learning and usefulness and then burn the list. It’s a symbolic
gesture to help you release the old and be open to the new. The next
step is to list what you do want — experiences, knowledge, material
things, relationships, healings, whatever.…
I’m confident
that anything you can do to make this year-end more dramatic in
terms of your own personal and spiritual growth will be valuable.
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