“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Søren Kierkegaard.
Very soon, it will be fall. Fall is my favorite season of the year. It is beautiful; the leaves change colors, the weather is pleasant, and sunflowers are everywhere. (For those who haven’t been reading my blog, sunflowers have a special meaning to me. I will probably rerun that blog next week.)
It is the third quarter of the year, and I realized that the end of the year is coming soon. It is a good idea to start reviewing our year now. The end of the year gets busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Most of us mean to review our lives before New Year's, but when we get so busy, it does not happen. So take some time and review the first ¾ of the year.
I spent some time this weekend taking inventory of my life. I sat in my favorite quiet place, prayed, and wrote. I had some failures but also several successes.
Let’s talk about failures first. Often, when faced with a failure, we want to give up. It is the easiest thing to do. Owning up to our failures helps us to grow. Let me share what I have learned to this point this year.
FAILURES
· Weight loss – I have been trying for over a year to lose weight. I feel like a failure because I did not lose much. ---- After reviewing that aspect, I feel motivated to end the year wearing a smaller size!
· I need to keep my house picked up and clean. I have a housekeeper who comes monthly to clean; however, I need to keep it picked up between visits. I was embarrassed when someone dropped by to see me, and I didn’t want to let them in.--- I will now include picking up things on my daily list of things to do and working on completing those tasks.
· I thought of some of my friendships and realized that, in some cases, I hurt the person in different ways. I evaluated how much of those things needed an apology and what things I needed to let go of.
There are more, but that is all I want to share!
SUCCESSES
A few highlights of the year
· I continue to be involved in the community
· I have a new job
· I participated and graduated from Leadership Fresno
There are many ways to review the year, determine what we want to change, and finish the year with a bang!!
Here are some methods to help you reflect on the past 9 months:
1. Set Categories for Reflection
Break down your life into different areas to make the review more organized. These can include:
Personal growth: Have you achieved your goals earlier this year?
Health and wellness: How are you doing physically and mentally?
Relationships: How have your relationships with family, friends, or colleagues evolved?
Career and finances: Are you progressing in your career or meeting financial goals?
Hobbies and interests: Have you made time for the things you love?
2. Use Journaling or Reflective Writing
Write down your thoughts on what has gone well and what challenges you’ve faced.
Reflect on moments of success and areas where you feel you could improve.
Consider writing prompts like:
What am I most proud of this year so far?
What challenges did I overcome?
What lessons have I learned from failures or setbacks?
3. Evaluate Your Goals
Review any goals you set at the beginning of the year.
Mark progress, adjust targets or create new goals for the final quarter.
Ask yourself if the goals still align with where you want to go.
4. Track Achievements and Milestones
Make a list of your accomplishments, no matter how small.
This can be professional and personal achievements, like completing projects, learning new skills, or reaching a fitness goal.
5. Review Your Calendar or Planner
Review past months on your calendar to see how you spent your time.
Identify patterns in productivity, rest, and social activities.
Consider if there are any adjustments you can make to your routine moving forward.
6. Seek Feedback from Others
Ask friends, family, or colleagues for feedback on how they’ve seen you grow.
Sometimes, others can provide insight that you might not notice yourself.
7. Reflect on Challenges
Identify obstacles or challenging periods in the year.
How did you handle these challenges?
What coping strategies worked, and what could be improved?
8. Assess Your Mental and Emotional Well-being
Reflect on how you've been feeling emotionally throughout the year.
Have you experienced significant stress, anxiety, or joy? What has contributed to those feelings?
9. Create a Vision for the Final Quarter
Write what you want to accomplish in the last quarter based on your reflection.
Be specific about habits or changes you want to implement moving forward.
10. Gratitude Practice
List what you have been grateful for in the past months.
Recognizing what’s working well can help build a positive outlook and motivate you for the future.
Reviewing your life using these methods will give you a clear sense of where you've been and where you’re heading as the year wraps up.
Have a great week!
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