Take Time To Look Back
2024 is almost over and that means I’m getting ready to do an annual tradition of reviewing the year. I’ve been doing this for several years now and I find great benefits. When I look back it helps me get perspective, facilitates gratitude, reminds me how much can change in a year, and helps me be sober minded about if I really prioritized the things that are most important to me, and prompts me to consider what I want to work on in the coming year.
If we don’t stop every once in a while and take stock of our life, we may keep heading in a direction that we don’t really want to be moving in the first place. Doing an annual review helps you gather some data and consider if you need to tweak anything moving forward.
It reminds me of a favorite quote:
“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” -Seneca
We take time to look back on our lives so that we can form a clearer vision of how we want to live differently.
Here is the practice:
First, review each month of the year January-December and write down 1) generally what was happening in the month, 2) any wins/celebrations, and 3) hardships/challenges. You don’t need to write pages and pages for each month, just noting the highlights will work.
Second, I want you to consider your top 5 personal values. If you don’t know them, choose 5 from this list: Family, Love, Adventure, Spirituality, Health, Creativity, Service, Nature, Knowledge, Freedom, Beauty, Humor, Courage, Honesty, Respect, Peace, Wisdom, Calmness, Friends, Stability, Success, Safety, Relaxation, Moderation, Justice, etc.
On a scale of 0-10 (10 high) how well did you live your top 5 values this year?
Finally, I want you to spend some time journaling what will need to be different in the coming year if you are going to better prioritize your top 5 values.
I highly encourage you to prioritize time in your schedule to reflect on this last year. Rhythms of reflection help us return to what is most important. Without these rhythms we tend to drift, get lost in trivial worries, and end up spending our most precious resource - time - on things that do not matter at all.
Here’s to living more into our values in the coming year!
Happy to be in your corner,
Tom Page, LCPC
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