Year by year, I am one of those people who make a long list of new year resolutions and watch it crash and burn by February.
But for the last 1 year, I have decided that I can make resolutions any time I want. And instead of new year resolutions, I replaced them with the new year reflections.
Reflection of what had happened last year and what is the direction I’m taking for the next coming year.
Year reflection is done by summarizing the year that has passed, the achievement, the things that can get done better, the worst event or decision, the challenges—basically everything that summarized the thing that had to happen in that year.
This year I stumbled upon Mel Robbins reflection question which I think it’s quite concise and will help when doing yearly or monthly reflections.
- What are the people, experiences and commitments that triggered positive feelings, energy and memories for you this year?
- What are the people, experiences and commitments that triggered negative feelings, energy and memories for you this year?
- What are the biggest lessons that you learned this year?
- What do you want to do more in 2022?
- What is the thing you are scared to commit to doing because you don’t think it will happen?
The basic idea of doing reflection is for us to reflect (duh) what had happened in our lives and how much it had impacted us.
Life lessons, experiences, and people are among the biggest contributor when it comes to shaping who we are.
If no reflection ever takes place, we will repeat the same mistake, we will still be doing things that give us no benefit and we will become the same person year in year out.Yes, sometimes we feel that we are growing because a year had passed, but the reality is, we are just the same person, with the same way of thinking, and we don’t even realize it.
And then, we wonder why there is nothing interesting ever happening in our life.
To be honest, I am not a huge fan of doing reflection. Especially when I must answer certain specific questions. I found it a bit corny and feel that if there’s something wrong with me or with my life, I will be the first person to know.
Boy, am I wrong.
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The last few years situation is a bit messy with Covid-19 and the lockdown. And I can sense that I am not that okay and thought it is because of the lockdown.
But when I start writing and doing reflection, I came to realize that it is because of me being frustrated with my mundane life.
Then, I have decided, it was time for me to change my workplace. I need something new and something fresh. And that’s what I did.
The changes don’t necessarily be huge like getting married or buying a house.
It can be as simple as stopping hanging out with people who sap out your energy or maybe just a simple smile to a stranger every single day, to work on your confidence.
Before taking any action, the first thing that needed to be there is the reason, why we need to make the change? And reflection will really help you with that.
Reflection will give the actual realization of something that will trigger the intrinsic motivation to act. And only by taking action, changes can take place.
Reflection -> Realization -> Action -> Change
The reflection doesn’t need to be done at the end of the year. It can be done quarterly, or even monthly. It can be lengthy or just a simple statement.
Here are some statements that can help you kickstart the reflection journey:
My biggest achievements
My least favourite things that had happened
What I can do more to improve
If nothing much happens, why is that
Lesson I learn
If you think about it, there are always first in everything.
Let doing reflection be among the things that you feel awkward doing at first but will help you take action and help you growth as a person.
Share with us your tips on doing reflection.
