Dear reader, I’m catching you right in the thick of the Holiday season. If you need to bookmark this and come back to it later, please do so! It will be waiting here for you when you’re ready to settle down cozily. And note that when working with others, I take an interspiritual approach, so all are welcome to participate in ways that honor themselves and their traditions. Wishing you peace this season! Sincerely, Heidi
We (my husband, our cat, and I) are closing out the year in France. Definitely a change in scenery from our hometown in Texas.
Exploring new ways of life has been such a treat: Christmas markets, the food (bread and cheese, hello!), and I’m drinking tea now! The town we’re in has murals around every corner. So far, this one is my favorite.
We already had one Zoom Christmas, and we’re looking forward to the next one! So thankful for technology that allows us to stay connected this way.
Just this past week, I met with a group of colleagues on Zoom to review and plan for the new year. I received a question regarding how one could do this for themselves. Rolling with that energy, I thought I’d share a few practices, some inspired by working with multiple groups over the years and making it into something that I look forward to every year. Below, I’ll share how you can reflect on the past year and set intentions for the new year.
✻ Note: I used to focus only on the year ahead and dreaded looking back—as if it were another year that had passed by and wasn’t “good enough.” It wasn’t until I met with these groups that I was led in the practice of reviewing the past year. I was constantly surprised by what I discovered and what I could have missed by not acknowledging and honoring myself and the year behind me. Notice if there’s any resistance to either reflecting on the past year or setting intentions for the new year, and explore what that could be about! (Remember to be gentle with yourself and have self-compassion throughout all of this.)
I’m sharing practices that work for me. Feel free to make it work for you! You can also gather with friends to do these practices. There’s something (spiritually) powerful about doing work with others.
A Practice to Reflect on the Past Year:
Reviewing the Year by Month
What you’ll need:
- A journal (sheet of paper, or iPad — whatever you use to take notes)
- Your calendar or planner (to reference each month and your appointments/ events/ meetings)
Block out time for yourself (if you need to break up this practice by reviewing the year in quarters, set aside 20 minutes or whatever works best. However, there’s value alone in setting aside time to ground yourself and pause.)
Sit in an upright posture and be mindful of your breathing.
What to do:
Starting with January and making your way through December, review the month on your calendar and write a few lines answering the following prompts:
- What went well?
- What didn’t go so well?
- What surprised you? (What happened that was out of your control? What did you learn from this?)
Note: If you have a natural tendency to focus on what doesn’t go well, spend a little extra time on prompt 1. Vice Versa. If you have a hard time facing negative data, try to spend a little more focus on what didn’t work so well.
✻ Bonus: You can also summarize each month and write a short gratitude journal entry. What were you thankful for?
Setting Intentions for the New Year:
If you aren’t yet sure of what you’d like to set as an intention, here’s a helpful reflection on working with intention by Gunter Richter, which was shared with me earlier this year. I try to keep my intention(s) simple.
- If you are getting familiar with the Enneagram and know your type, you can browse this resource here on each type by the Chestnut Paes Academy. You can take a look at the pattern descriptions along with the areas of growth (in “Explore Type…”) and see what resonates with you as a focus point for this new year.
- If you aren’t yet familiar with the Enneagram or don’t know your type, you can use your values to inform what you’d like to focus on. Brené Brown has a great list of values you can use— circle the ones that resonate most with you and use that as a guide.
Practice 1: Choosing a word or phrase to help you focus on your intention
What you’ll need:
- No specific materials needed! Although you can document your word and/or phrase in your journal
What to do:
Get creative and think of a word or phrase that represents this intention. Something that you can metaphorically hold in your pocket, easily accessible throughout the year.
I think about what will help stop me in my tracks! When I’m in autopilot mode, there are things that I won’t notice, unless I take pause or STOP in the actual moment. In this moment of “stop,” I can be reminded of my intention and choose to move forward in a way that aligns with it.
Tara Brach has a phrase, “Every day, no matter what,” regarding her meditation practice. Even if for 3 minutes, she commits to sitting and doing her practice daily. To be honest, I borrow this phrase as well.
You can also use an image, object, song title, poem, or whatever speaks to you instead of a word or phrase!
Practice 2: Create your own “Vision Board”
What you’ll need:
- Posterboard, or any paper, for the backdrop
- Old magazines or newspapers
- Scissors
- Glue or tape
- OR Canva (or another online tool if you want to do this digitally)
What to do:
Go through your old magazines and, without thinking too much, choose images or words that please you. What are you instantly drawn to? Cut it out and paste it on your board. Think about general, aspirational themes that these images represent for you.
The practice of dedicating time and attention to these ideas (which can turn into goals) is powerful in itself. The fun part is, DREAM OUT OF THIS WORLD. On this board, what if there were no limits?? You never know what is possible. Take it from me. I never thought I would be living in France (as I write this now), and I still think that this won’t be the wildest thing to happen.
I like to illustrate generalized themes, as it’s less about specific results (although we may see these) and more about exercising playfulness, pushing limits, and discovering a direction we want to go in the year ahead. And there’s always room for pivots!
I share a little more in this video below:
I hope this was helpful, and I wish you and your loved ones a very warm and happy holiday! Here’s to honoring what we’ve been through and moving forward with awareness. Not only for ourselves, but as our part in making the world a better place.