Reflect on the year!

In this article you will:

• Discover the power of reflecting on the year.

• Learn how to reflect effectively.

• Gain insight into areas of growth and potential for next year.

In this article we will focus on the importance of reflecting intentionally on the past year to set us up for success for the coming year. Because life is busy and time waits for no man, we need to be intentional to look back and debrief the year to glean lessons and valuable experiences from the year that we will take with us into the coming year. Think of it like this, as you travel through the year you pick up a lot of baggage, good and bad, through experiences. By reflecting on those experiences, we get the chance to choose what we leave behind and what we take with us. This is another reason why journalling is important because it focuses your attention on the past day or event, reconciling, learning, and growing from those experiences as we have them. For this article we will go through the year by the same three steps that we go through in journalling, reconciling, learning, and growing. This article will be more a tool than an article, that means you can actually follow along and debrief the year as you read.

The first thing that we want to do is prepare ourselves for reflection, for me that means coffee and quiet. My environment plays a big role in the process of reflection. Choose your environment with this in mind, you want to be able to focus and think deeply about the past year. Next up are the tools of reflection, it is helpful to have a piece of paper and a pen handy to jot down some key points during your reflection time. Once your environment and reflection tools are set, follow the below sections, questions, and exercises.

Reconciling:

Within reconciling we are closing the loop on experiences and aspects of the past year. The dictionary defines reconciling as restoring relationships, settling accounts, or to bring together. We are in other words going to look at the good and bad with the intent to restore, settle, and bring together.

The power of reconciling is that creates freedom to move forward with confidence.

Learning:

Within learning we are discovering lessons that we take from experiences that will assist us in the future. Learning from reflection is not only noticing the lessons learned but also the people that we learned from.

Growing:

The growing aspect of reflection highlights the areas that has grown but also the areas that needs growth.

The key is to identify from a perspective of potential growth, not absolute resignation of the status quo.

Reflect on the year.

Gratitude:

Our first stop on our journey of reconciling is gratitude. Think through the year and try to identify key areas of gratitude. Tip: think through the months of the year to assist you in recalling important events. I find it very helpful to keep my calendar of the past year close by as I reflect. Try to answer the following questions:

Jesus:

• Where did you see Jesus in this year? (Reconciling)

• What make those encounters important to you? (Learning)

• What did I learn about Jesus through the experiences that I am grateful for? (Learning)

• Take a minute that thank Jesus in prayer. (Growth)

People:

• Name at least three people that you are grateful for from the past year. (Reconciling)

• What makes you grateful for them? (Learning)

• How can you thank them? (Tip: Be specific when you thank people, it promotes authenticity and trust in your relationship). (Growth)

Disappointment:

Many of us try to avoid disappointment because it hurts and is uncomfortable. The thing about disappointment is that it, if not dealt with, will hold you back.

The key is to keep reconciliation in mind when looking at the disappointments and not to dwell on those experiences.

• What were the top three disappointments of this year? (Reconciling)

• What made them significant? (Reconciling)

• Where can you see Jesus in the disappointment? (Reconciling)

• What did you learn about yourself as you went through disappointments? (Learning)

• What do you need to let go of in the disappointment? (Growth)

• What are areas of growth? (Growth)

Victories:

Like disappointments we tend to either stay stuck in past victories or we don’t give them enough space to really impact us going forward. The point within victories is celebrating progress and growth.

• What has been the top three victories in the past year? (Reconciling)

• Where did you see Jesus in the victories? (Reconciling)

• What did you learn from the victories in this year? (Learning)

• Where have you grown? (Learning)

• What do you need to take with you? (Growth)

• What do you need to leave behind? (Growth)

What about next year:

Victor Frankl a Jewish survivor of the concentration camps in the second world war spoke about the power of your choice within what happens to you makes the difference.

We have now reflected on the past year, and I hope that it has been a journey of discovery and joy despite the challenges of the year, now the real power comes into your reflection time, what will you do with it? I encourage you to start by thanking people who has had impact in your life.

Take time to answer the following questions:

• What excites you about next year? (Reconciling)

• What have you learned this year that sets you up for success for next year? (Growth)

• In what way can you grow in the way you treat people next year? (Growth)

• What is Jesus saying to you about next year? (Growth)

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© 2023 Ivan Venter, All Rights Reserved.

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