It’s that time of year again. Maybe you love it or maybe you hate it, but either way it’s here! When the calendar turns, we don’t exactly shift magically into new human beings for the new year, no matter how much sometimes we wish we could.
While waving a magic wand and becoming the best versions of ourselves sounds tempting, it’s actually missing the point of all this human-ing in the first place. It’s the hard stuff that makes you resilient. It’s the lessons learned on the journey that give you the wisdom you have now. It’s the reflecting and shifting that moves your forward.
Forget resolutions. Forget unattainable goals. Forget planning. Let’s get real for a minute.
Let’s look backwards.
Were so busy that we rarely take time to reflect. If we do reflect, it’s only a short term practice and most of the time its a lot of negative self-talk and beating ourselves up for things not going the way we thought they should have. This year let’s do something different to close out 2021 and bring in 2022. Let’s get real and honest. Let’s actually do the inner work instead of sweeping the past under the rug.
Here are some Reflection Rituals. These do not have be done at any certain time. Today is just fine.
Reflection Ritual #1 Were going to go through and reflect on the significant events and memories of the last year to fully process them.
- On a piece of paper or in a journal, write down each month of the year.
- Then list everything you can remember from each month that happened in 2021. Use your phone for picture references if needed. List all events, significant moments and things that stand out for each month.
- As you complete your list for each month, spend a few moments reflecting on those events and memories. Close your eyes. Let them play out in your head again. Let the emotions come up.
- When your list is done, go through and highlight or circle all the ones you want to continue or repeat in the future. Mark through all the ones you don’t.
You can use this list to sketch out your calendar and plans for the new year. You can use it to remind you what’s important. Or you can do nothing with it and just keep it for next years reflection as a memory. This ritual is about remembering, honoring and moving through the emotions, good and bad, of the last year. It’s about getting clear on what matters to you and what doesn’t right now so that you can move forward from a place of knowing and awareness.
Reflection Ritual #2 Were going to create 2 lists each one on it’s own paper. One list is things were leaving behind in the last year, and the other is things we’d like to accomplish in the new year.
- Create your list of 21 things you’re leaving behind in 2021. These things can be people, places, attitudes, ideas, limiting beliefs, boundaries, values. Whatever is not serving you and you know it.
- Once you’ve created the first list, read over it again. Take a picture of it. Close your eyes. Take a minute to say goodbye to each item. Now rip it up. Burn it if you’d like. You’re done with all of that!
- Now lets make a new list. 22 things you would like to do more of in 2022. These can be places you’d like to go, things you’d like to work on, accomplishments you want to achieve, shifts you need to make, attainable goals, action steps.
- Use this list to make plans this year. Use it to check in with yourself throughout the year. Post it somewhere special where you will see it often.
Reflections can be very truth-telling. You can do this. Being honest with yourself is never easy. Telling the truth can hurt, but then the freedom comes.
What feels like freedom to you? That’s what you should call in for 2022. More of that.
Rooting for you,
MA ❤
The Well Mom Collective 