Ok people don't judge me...but my favourite time of year is nearly here!!! No I don't mean the Christmas festivities. I'm talking about the end of the year, when I like to look back over the past 12 months and reflect on my journey, my experiences, my challenges and achievements, the highs and lows, the things there are to be grateful for, and decide how I want life to unfold in the year ahead!
Yeeeesss I seriously do this, and noooo it's not a form of self-torture. I've been carrying out this annual reflective process for almost 20 years now and I can honestly say it is a fun, cathartic and eye-opening exercise to undertake. I spend so much of my time trying to understand other people's lives and how to help them achieve their goals and dreams, that it's nice to do the same for myself. Essentially this process allows me to become my very own Life Coach! And I invite you to do the same.
Benefits of the End of the Year Review Exercise:
It allows us to take stock of where we life is and how happy/satisfied we are in the most important areas of our lives.
It helps us understand what we want or need to change in the year ahead - whether it's mindset or habits, or the need to heal wounds of the past - to bring us more in line with our ultimate goals and dreams and what truly matters to us.
It allows us to re-frame what we may have originally considered to be negative experiences; identifying the lessons learnt, the strengths and wisdom gained because of them, and to let the victim mentality and hurt emotions go.
And it allows us to to map out exactly what we want to consciously bring into our reality in the year ahead, by creating an Ultimate Action Plan. Achieving our big dreams will take us a thousand little steps, no one is going to take those steps for us, so it's wise to get clear on what those little steps need to be!
Full disclosure - it does take a good couple of hours of solid introspection to complete this exercise. And I appreciate that for many people, this exercise may be the equivalent of going back to school to complete a project that nobody is going to ever see. But I would argue that you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been. So many people move from one year to the next, making little to no changes, stuck in their mundane routines and unhelpful habits and wondering why life feels so unfulfilling. The only way life can change is if we first become AWARE of the life we are living, and then to find the COURAGE to take the individua steps towards the life that we want to be experiencing. The End of the Year Review exercise is a great place to start, it costs nothing but time and effort, and is has the power to transform your life and ultimately help you find your happy. So where to start?
Steps for Completing the End of the Year Life Review
Prepare for Success:
Set aside at least 2hrs uninterrupted to complete this exercise in one sitting; or complete one section at a time during December, so that the entire review is complete by the start of the New Year. I like to light a candle or some incense and play some mellow music while I complete my review.
You can complete the end of year review by writing it out in a journal, typing it out as a Word document, or texting it into Notes on your phone. You can write it as a narrative or bullet point facts and ideas . If the idea of writing brings you out in hives, you can record yourself talking about your experiences using the voice recorder app on your phone. Or you can speak to a trusted friend, and share your experiences and reflections and future plans - do what works and feels most natural to you.
If your memory needs jolting (which it almost certainly will), refer back to your diary or calendar, or look through photos in your phone gallery taken in the last year.
Remember, there is no right or wrong way to do this, feel free to tweak the process so that it works for you and don't put too much pressure on it!
Reflection Time:
Score each of the following 10 Key Life Areas out of 10 (where 1 = totally pants and 10 = totally awesome) in whichever order you prefer:
1) Relationships - Romantic/Children/Friends/Family/ Colleagues
2) Study/Career/Work
3) Home & Living Environment
4) Finances
5) Physical Health
6) Emotional Wellbeing
7) Social Contribution/Legacy
8) Personal/Spiritual Development
9) Fun/Lifestyle/Experiences;
10) Other.
Ask yourself the following questions for each of the 10 Key Life areas:
What happened/what did I experience?
What were the high's? What were the lows?
What did I learn - how has my experience this year provided me with greater strength or wisdom?
What am I grateful for?
What do I want to experience in this key life area moving forward into the New Year?
Why do I want it? What is at the very core of my desire?
How would I feel if it became my reality?
How am I going to make this happen - what do I need to do or change, and who can help support me and keep me accountable?
Developing the Ultimate Action Plan:
As you work through each section, start creating your Ultimate Action Plan! This is not like a New Years Resolutions List, where you identify a handful of things you know you're probably not going to follow through with. This is THE list you will look at every day, ticking off and adding to over the next 12 months, as you take the steps needed to achieve your goals and create the life you want. Using an app like Trello will revolutionise how you break down tasks to achieve your goals, stay focused and motivated and juggle the various goals you are working towards. Creating a board for each of the 10 Key Life Areas will help ensure you are focusing on the steps needed to move you forward.
Score each of the 10 Life Areas out from 1-10 again, noticing if the numbers have changed following reflection (which they almost always certainly will), as reflection allows for our perspective to shift and clarity to be gained. Anything with a final satisfaction score of less than 7 should be prioritised in terms of change for the year ahead.
Next time you find yourself scrolling aimlessly on your phone, create a folder in your photos gallery and start screenshotting images which represent the things you want to bring into your life experience. You can use Google Images or Pinterest etc to create a Vision Board to help inspire you moving forward. Creating a visual representation of all the different things you want to experience and manifest into your life throughout the year ahead, isn't just an arty-crafty wishful-thinking exercise. It actually helps prime the subconscious mind to look for and recognise what you want and to align your thoughts, emotions and behaviours with what you want to be experiencing, moving you closer to your goals and dreams. So what are you waiting for?
Completing an End of the Year Review may not be everybody's cup of tea, but I know through personal experience that this is one of THE most powerful tools I use to consciously create a life I can love; helping me either stay on track or take giant leaps forward, and for creating the most enriched life I can imagine. So this December why not take some time for quiet reflection, inspired contemplation, and conscious creation...it could very well change your life! Or if you feel you would benefit from completing this exercise with someone who will help you gain the clarity and perspective needed to create the most AMAZING reality for the new year, click the button below to request a FREE Transformational Life Coaching Consultation with myself!
ABOUT ME:
My Name is Nichola Pyrkos, I am a Transformational Life Coach & Mindfulness Facilitator, a Psychology and Social Work graduate, and my mission is to empower people to consciously create a life they love, the balance they need, and developing the resilience to weather any storm. Follow me on Instagram @mindfullifecoachuk and head on over to my website to find out about the range of services I offer, including bespoke Life Coaching programmes tailor-made for individual clients to fast-track their learning, healing and personal growth.
It only takes one decision to change your life...are you ready to transform yours?
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