An integral part of being on the heroine/hero’s quest to live your Vision is taking stock of where you are on the journey and celebrating your successes! It’s also important to take some time to rest and reflect. Approaching the end of one year and the beginning of a new year is a great time to do this: to look back assess your growth, revise your goals and plans as necessary and make decisions about how you want to move forward.
I love taking time out between Christmas and New Year’s Eve to do this! I look at what I had set out to accomplish in the year ending (Did I accomplish my goals?), take stock of losses and gains (grieving and celebrating appropriately), reflect on and record major events and highpoints and celebrate what I’ve accomplished.
I read last year’s journaling from around the same last year and I usually make some interesting discoveries about myself; what’s important to me and who I want to be going forward: always growing and getting better.
My yearly ritual also helps me transition from the past year to the new one. Somewhere between Dec 27th and 31st you will often find me bundled up by a fireplace doing this so I can also burn a list of things I wish to be rid of going into the New Year. I have found these exercises most helpful and illuminating and that’s why I’m sharing them with you. Even if you are reading this after January 1st It’s not too late to take stock of the past year and look toward to this year: what you want to accomplish and decide what you want to bring with you from the past and what you want to leave behind.
Give some or all of these exercises a try:
1) Take some quiet time to reflect on the past year making a list of losses and gains (this can be on any level) pay attention to what you learned from these experiences and journal about it.
2) Look at your goals from last year and assess how you did (remember to be compassionate with yourself) noticing where you might have been unrealistic and where you could have done more.
3) Make a list of what you want to focus on in this year. This should include goals but may also mean what behaviors and thoughts you want to continue from the past year.
4) Make a list of things you want to/are ready to let go of then write them on a piece of paper. On my list were negative states of mind and self-defeating patterns. You may also choose to keep a copy of this list in your journal for future reference.
5) Take the list of things you want to be rid of and either burn them, bury them or place them in a G*ddess/G*d Box with a prayer to help you to release them. Check out my vlog on G*ddess Boxes:
6) If you have not done one or at least not in the past year you may also wish to do the Ideal Life Scenario exercise where you write down the ideal scenario for each area of your life. You can then use this to define goals and complete an action plan. Download Lesson Here: Ideal Life Scenario Exercise
7) 
Register for the “Create Your Personal Strategic Plan 2019” Powerful Women Networking Event in Potomac, MD taking place January 12, 2019!
8) After you have done some or maybe even all of the above you may want to SAVE THE DATES for the Spring Break (Through) Beach Retreat taking place March 22-24th in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware!
Feel free to drop me a line if you are looking for help with setting or achieving your goals and your Vision of Success!!
Much Continued Success & Well Being and All the Best for the New Year!!
Nicole
