Hello and a very happy new year to you!
How was your festive season? I hope that you and yours had some time to stop, enjoy space and simple things, rest and celebrate. I am sorry if the season was a tough one for you. I hope that in these coming days there is some space for you to let your soul catch up with your feet.
Whatever your thoughts are at the start of this year, there are any number of People Out There who are keen to tell us what we should be thinking.
My social media feed is jam packed full of posts on resolutions, new starts, new regimes, and how to start the new year well.
In general, I like this kind of musing, as it makes me think.
However, it also has the potential to feel a bit overwhelming as there is SO MUCH of it. How do I process it all and synthesise all these ideas into one PERFECT solution that I can implement to ensure that 2024 is the year I want it to be?
Therein lies the rub.
Because when we try and do too much, chances are we end up doing nothing.
And yet, it is also equally possible to launch ourselves boldly and with gusto into the new year and get sucked straight into full-on busyness. It may be that you had points during last year when you thought
I want to do things differently next year. I don’t want to get stuck in the same patterns.”
But unless we choose to stop and notice what we ARE doing, and then see how we can do things differently, chances are we will continue with similar patterns and behaviours.
Reflection is important.
I often quote the American 20th Century American Philosopher John Dewey:
We don’t learn from our experiences, we learn from reflecting on our experiences.”
That is such a cool quote – initially it seems nonsense. Of course we learn from our experiences. But we don’t if they happen to us and the learnings therein pass us by because we don’t stop to notice what is going on.
So the challenge is to make time to stop and notice. Asking ourselves questions and choosing to unpick the experience to dig out the juicy learnings contained inside.
At the start of this year then, I encourage you to take a few minutes to think about last year, what stands out that is good and less good, and how that therefore informs the year coming.
Keep it simple.
This is a good starting point. And keep it relevant to YOU. Other People have their ideas, and that is great. But I find the trick is to take the bits that resonate with me, and tailor them to what you need. There is so much out there, and I am now contributing to that…
But we get more out of life when we put more into our own self development and growth.
Perhaps these questions are a framework at the start of this year as you consider 2023, and how you want to shape 2024:
What were the high points of last year?
What themes do I spot as I think of those? Consider how much of that you are in control of. It might be that there were one off celebrations that are not going to happen this year. But it is also likely that there are themes – relationships, inspiring challenges or learning, living according to your values, how you used your time. Ask yourself therefore: how can I include more of that this year?
What were the low points of last year?
Consider what it is about these memories that is more challenging. Distractions perhaps, frustrations, use of time that you now see was less helpful or productive than you thought. What can you do differently this year? What can you do less of?
We learn from reflecting on our experiences, and the start of a year is a great opportunity to do this. If you would like something more meaty to get you thinking about who you want to be and how you want to live this year, there is more here:
A template for making this a great year.
And if you would like something meatier still, and that will take you further into the year, sign up for my FREE self coaching guide that helps you lay out what you want the next 12 months to look like.
This is a big year for me as a coach – it marks 10 years of running my own coaching business. More of that to come, but I am glad that you are here to reflect with me on all that I have learned and I hope encouraged you with.
Reflecting on our experiences is worth the time. I wish you a good, simple and reflective start to the new year.