Photo by Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash
Happy Friday!
The Christmas music is still playing off in the distance.
The last morsels of turkey made for yet another delicious cold turkey lunch.
There are half-eaten boxes of chocolate in the pantry, an impressive amount of empty wine bottles, and the recycling boxes are full to the brim with cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, greeting card envelopes.
All evidence points to a lovely holiday of entertaining and enjoyment by all.
And that it was indeed.
And now we enter into this weird time when a part of you is likely still in festive mode, a part of you is back thinking about or diving deep into work, and yet another part of you is busy looking ahead and strategizing all for 2019.
I’m not quite sure where I am, but I did show up at my girlfriend’s house this morning in my Christmas onesie with breakfast pastries and one last gift, trying to hang onto this special holiday for as long as possible! (also learned a valuable lesson… if your gift requires batteries, you better be sure to have them in tow! Clearly an amateur!)
For me, this time of year has always been about spending time with friends and family and all loved ones, and likely always will be.
And so somehow I can justify my procrastination on the overflowing inbox and strategy sessions by surrounding myself in good company.
At the same time, however, my mind can’t help but wander to a few days from now, where I’ll likely be watching the ball drop, toasting with a glass of bubbly, and if I’m lucky enough enjoy a few kisses and cheers with some of the special people in my life.
And all of a sudden it will be a new year.
A new start.
A fresh opportunity.
A blank page.
And as much as I love thinking and dreaming up all the possibilities for the year ahead, I also tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to have all of these ambitious goals figured out and planned out exactly what it is I want my year to look like before it’s even arrived.
Well, I’m not quite there yet.
And you may not be, either.
And that’s okay.
Because before we jump ahead to dreaming and scheming up the sensational storm that will be 2019, it’s important to do this ONE THING:
Pause and Reflect.
It sounds simple enough, but it’s not always easy.
All too often we’re in a rush to get to the next thing before reflecting on what just happened.
We experience a breakup, and we’re back on line or swiping left looking for a new mate within days (or even hours!)
We arrive home from a trip, and before we’ve even unpacked we’re thinking about the next one.
We leave our job or position for whatever reason, and we’re jumping into a new project or applying for a new position almost immediately.
When was the last time you took the time to actually pause and reflect on what just happened? On your learnings? On how your perspective may have shifted? On what you want to be different next time? On what worked, and what didn’t?!?
Before we look ahead to 2019 – and all we want to experience, achieve, and feel – let’s first take some time to properly pause and reflect on this past year.
Now there are lots of questions out there and journal prompts and workbooks available for you to complete, but the last thing I want to do is add another something to your to-do list.
So I’m sharing 10 questions with you here… of which you may choose to answer all or one or even none. There is no right or wrong, nor does it matter if you answer with fancy gel pens in a fancy new journal, or simply in your head while enjoying a bubble bath. But I do suggest you at least read the following… as even doing just that will allow you to pause and begin the reflection process.
(And then stay tuned, as next week I’ll be offering my annual ‘Intentions, Resolutions, & Goals, OH MY!’ workshop to get clear on all we want in 2019. Good news? It’s going to be taking place ON LINE… so all y’all can join! *Registration opening soon.)
Reflection Questions for 2018:
- What are your BIG celebrations?
- What were your proudest accomplishments?
- What were the highlights? Lowlights?
- What is the most important lesson(s) you learned?
- What do you want more of? Less of?
- Where were you playing smaller than you know you could have?
- Who were the big cheerleaders and supporters in your life? (and how will you acknowledge them?)
- How did you stretch yourself to live BIG in 2018?
- What do you need to let go of in order to live even bigger in 2019?
- Who did you need to become to get here, and who do you need to grow into to get where you want to go?
May you take a moment to properly reflect on 2018… all that it was, and all that it wasn’t. All you experienced, and all you learned. How you grew and who you became.
Take a moment – if only a moment – to pause and reflect, celebrate, grieve, acknowledge, accept.
(And then please share some of your reflections in the comments below! I want to share in them with you.)
And when you do, you truly will be ready to ring in, and bring on 2019.
May it be all you desire and more.
xo,
P.S. THANK YOU for being an important part of my year… your reading, following, supporting, and commenting means more than you know. And I continue to be honoured and grateful to be in this together…
Cheers to continuing on the journey in 2019!