The changes the pandemic forced on us, made us experience things differently. We saw within us unknown sources of resilience helping us quickly adapt to these changes and make the best of the new ways of doing and being. As we look forward to the newness of 2021, looking back at our experiences of 2020 is a meaningful way to jump-start the new year.
Reflecting on our experiences:
Reflection is a process of consciously dwelling back on the past and discovering powerful ways tomove ahead. The process of year-end reflection can encompass different areas of our life such ashealth, career, relationships, and spirituality. Reflecting on our experiences of the past year givesvaluable perspectives on our areas of challenges and growth. It is important to be specific and driven bya purpose to grow in the process of reflection. Asking specific questions such as
• What was your favorite moment of the year?
• What was your most challenging moment of the year?
• What was your area of growth?
• Which is the one area of your life that you wish you had more focus on?
• What are you the proudest of?
would help get the most value in the process of reflection. Answers to such specific questions ofreflection can be the foundation of what we want to grow to be in the coming year.We draw to the end of 2020, a year so different than what each of us is used to. From having to dealwith the uncertainties of the pandemic, we had to quickly adjust to the many new normals. Having tocreate a balance of work and life inside the confines of our home, supporting children adapt to onlinelearning, having to do chores with minimal paid help, and connecting with friends and family viadifferent online modalities are our new normal.
Expressing Gratitude :
Expressing gratitude is the act of surrounding ourselves with positivity as we end in 2020. No matterhow difficult the experiences of the past year have been, remembering people, things, and experiencesto be thankful for can make us look forward to 2021 with optimism. Making a list of what we aregrateful for irrespective of how small or big it might seem is the first step to making it a practice. Areasof expressing gratitude can range from our basic physiological needs such as a cozy place to sleep eachnight to our greatest success of the past year. Expressing gratitude can be as simple as listing down
• Five things I’m grateful for this yearEnding the year with an attitude of gratitude is a way to begin the year with an attitude of abundance.
Visualizing the year ahead :
Reflecting on the past year and expressing gratitude for all that it has been can prepare our minds to bein a space to visualize what we want the new year to be and how to get there. Knowing how we wantthe new year to be in the different facets of our life can motivate us to set goals. Having specific goalsfor the upcoming year is a focused way to work our dreams about the year to reality. List down whatyou want to grow into in the new year and create mental imagery of yourself having achieved each ofyour goals. Questions to ask yourself to visualize the year ahead could be
• What goal do I want to focus on?
• Picture your life as how it could be when you reach your goal
• Visualize each step it takes for you to reach your goal.
Act out your visualized steps. Having a visualized plan helps us spring into action as the new yearunfolds.
So, go ahead reflect on your experiences, express gratitude, and visualize your year ahead. Make the new year your best year ever.
About the Author
Jennifer Moses is a Career Guidance Coach at HerSecond Innings and Counseling Psychologist based out of Bangalore. HSI community members can reach her by making appointment Coaching.
Her Second Innings supports women professionals on a sabbatical in their journey of getting back to work. The mission of HSI is to guide women to achieve financial independence. Support from HSI comes in the form of job interviews, reskilling programs in Automation and, free Career Guidance Counselling. Sign up with us and complete your profile to get a call from our counselors to know your job fit. Disclaimer “The opinions expressed are those of the author. This blog claims no credit for any images or content posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images and content on this blog belong to their respective owners. If there is an image or content on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it to appear on this site, please e-mail us with a link to said image or content and it will be promptly removed”
