With the University closing for the holidays, we have the time and space to reflect on another year. For me, I like to take the pause between the December and January holidays to acknowledge my accomplishments and gain closure on misses or failures. In my previous work as a yoga teacher, we called this “completing on the year.” Below are the six questions we used to guide our journaling. If you’re interested in doing this activity, I encourage you to get cozy, find a quiet 45-90 minutes for reflection, and grab your favorite writing utensil and paper to answer the following:
1. What did I accomplish that I intended to accomplish?
2. What did I NOT accomplish that I intended to accomplish?
3. What are all my thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensations, and stories about the year?
4. What is it that I don’t want to say about the year?
5. What do I want to be acknowledged for?
6. What am I declaring and intending for the year ahead?
What did you accomplish?
Thinking back to the goals you set for 2018, which ones did you achieve? Some achievements may come easier than others at first, and you may find yourself eventually racking your brain for accomplishments. Don’t stop and move on just yet – sit for a minute and wait for that second “wave” of accomplishments to flood in. Oftentimes, my accomplishments list starts out with very tangible, physical things like going to bed earlier, limiting my electronics usage, reading more, or running a half marathon. But it can be less tangible things you might have intended, like fostering closer relationships or remembering birthday too.
What did you NOT accomplish?
This question is not intended to make you to punish or feel bad about yourself. Rather, I use this question to see if I let the important things fall by the wayside to more “pressing” things, or just recognize how my priorities or values may have shifted throughout the year. If a goal I didn’t accomplish is still important to me, then this is a great starting point for making it a top goal for the new year.
What are your thoughts, feelings, emotions, stories?
Sure, this question might sound kind of “woo-woo” and out there, but it’s important to acknowledge the meaning and evaluation you’re attaching to your accomplishments and NOT accomplishments – are you punishing yourself (like I told you not to above)? Are you feeling really good about it, impressed with yourself? Do you feel like you’re celebrating yourself enough, too much, just right? Write it all down here.
What is it you don’t want to say about the year?
I find this question to be the hardest to answer. It forces me to confront my vulnerabilities and be truly honest with myself. There have been years where what I didn’t want to say questioned my purpose, my decisions, or my identity, but it’s in this raw vulnerability that I’ve found the most gold.
What do you want to be acknowledged for?
Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back for EVERYTHING here!
What are you declaring and intending for the year ahead?
I like this word, “intend.” It implies planning for an overarching purpose or end, which creates meaningful connection between your bigger “why” and the individual goals you set. Some psychological research suggests that most people fail at achieving their goals because they encounter an obstacle or setback and then can’t figure out how to right themselves. For example, you set the goal of turning off all electronic screens by 8pm every night, but after a week of going all the way to 9pm, you think “This is impossible” and just throw in the towel. Your perseverance might look differently, though, if you tied your goal to the overall intention of well-being, health, restfulness, mindfulness, etc.
I hope you enjoy this activity to complete 2018 – we wish you a very happy 2019!
Written by Stephanie Cantu