Are you excited for the 2025? To have a clean slate, a fresh start? Are you feeling accomplished or regretful? Are you entering the new year with unfinished goals?
As the clock ticks towards, it’s time to pause, reflect, and chart your course for a transformative year ahead.
The Importance of Reflection
Personally, I prefer to prepare for the year ahead by reflecting on where I’ve been. Then, I ask myself, “Where do I want to go in the new year?”
Reflection allows you to:
- Understand your values and priorities
- Identify where you did well – strengths
- Identify where you are lacking – weaknesses
- Recognize areas for improvement – goals
Your values and priorities can guide you to where you want to focus time and energy for the new year. For instance, doing paperwork is a weakness for me. Actually, I dislike it strongly, but it is very important in my line of work. It must be done correctly, which can be mentally tiring and time-consuming. My solution is to use a virtual assistant – someone who is trained to excel at completing paperwork effectively and efficiently.
Delegating this type of work was the result of reflecting on how I want to spend my time and energy. My daily devotional question asked “What should you NOT be doing?’” and my immediate response was “administrative tasks and paperwork.” Being able to identify that for my business has allowed me to focus more on the work that I excel at and enjoy spending time on.
The Wheel of Life
In reflecting, it is important to recognize your mistakes or areas for improvement while also celebrating your successes. I use the Wheel of Life as a tool in my reflection. It helps me measure my satisfaction in multiple areas in my life, such as:
- Social
- Health & Fitness
- Relationships
- Career
- Self-development
- Spirituality
- Fun
- Finances
Maybe you excel in your health – you love to exercise and prioritize eating healthy – but personal finances aren’t your strong suit. Perhaps you prefer to set up automatic payments for bills or paycheck deductions for retirement accounts. While this can be great for some people, an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality might keep you from realizing your net worth and how to grow it.
On your own Wheel of Life, health could rank higher at a nine out of ten, while finances sit lower at 5. This may feel unbalanced and produce a bumpy ride. With a little reflection, the Wheel can act as guide for where you want to focus on most that will bring more harmony to your life. This could mean directing attention toward the more difficult tasks that you struggle with most or tend to avoid. It could also mean carving out time for improving in a specific area, like relationships or professional growth.
Either way, the best advice I can give is to start with baby steps. By forming realistic habits, you are more likely to remain consistent in working toward your goals.
Strategies for Improvement
Upon reflection, you may consider allowing trusted friends or colleagues to give you feedback. They may have different perspectives and insight that you hadn’t previously considered. Similarly, they may be more open to asking you for feedback as well.
Recently, a colleague of mine provided me with an opportunity to reflect by saying, “Yes, you can do your own payroll. Yes, you understand how to do the reports. But, is that the best use of your time?” While it may be difficult to implement change or accept constructive criticism, this kind of feedback shouldn’t be discredited. Instead, ask yourself if there is truth to what someone has suggested and consider how relevant it may be. After reflecting, you are free to choose between absorbing or discarding it.
Reflecting on the last year is no small task and it should take you longer than 10 to 15 minutes. I recommend setting aside a block of time – maybe 60 to 90 minutes – within your schedule to sit down in a quiet place and think about your wins and losses over the year and how they reflect your strengths and weaknesses. Sitting in nature or playing some music may enhance this process, making it feel less tedious and more fulfilling. Make this an enjoyable experience. Embrace the opportunity.
Practical Tips for Reflection
If your phone holds your world, you could browse through photos, videos, and notes to spark some thoughts and ideas to reflect on. Keeping an active journal may also provide some insight to your year. I know I don’t remember everything that happened in January when it is now December so, by keeping a journal, I am able to see how I’ve grown throughout the year.
I enjoy journaling because it has proven an effective method to sort through my thoughts and feelings. When I begin journaling, I never know where my thoughts will lead. My journal can look like a business plan one day, and a prayer journal the next. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to journal. I enjoy reflecting and developing a game plan, or adding a few more prayer notes.
This year, I am journaling on notebook paper. As I journal, I will file my pages into the appropriate notebook. Over the course of this year, I will add reflections to my journaling process. More frequent reviews and time spent reflecting will allow for better-informed decision making and course-correction along the way.
If you are interested in learning more about the Wheel of Life and how to implement strategies for reflection, call our office at 208-343-7777 today!