As the year comes to an end, it’s a great time to reflect on the past 12 months and start thinking about goals and plans for the year ahead. Self-reflection allows time to process the events of the past year, acknowledge your accomplishments and challenges, and emerge with renewed perspective.

As we start the new year, we like the words of Vern McLellan, “What the New Year brings to you will depend on what you bring to the New Year.” With that in mind, here are some tips we used for reflecting on the past year and planning intentions for the new year. We hope these tips will also be helpful for you.

Reflect on the past year. Set aside some quiet time to think about the major events, experiences, and memories from the past year. What were the highs and lows? What brought you joy or fulfillment? What do you feel most proud of achieving? What challenges did you face and how did you respond? As Charles Swindoll said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” What did you learn about yourself this past year? Writing these reflections in a journal can help you process and articulate your thoughts.

Take stock of your goals. Look back at the goals or resolutions you set for yourself at the beginning of this year. Which goals did you achieve? Which ones are still a work in progress? What helped or hindered your ability to achieve your goals? What can you learn from this experience about setting and working toward future goals? Being aware of your successes and challenges with goals this past year can help you set more realistic and achievable goals for the new year.

Look for patterns and themes. Are there any common threads or repeating patterns across your experiences, relationships, challenges and triumphs this past year? Do these patterns reveal anything important about your values, needs or priorities? Noticing these themes can provide insight to guide your focus and intentions for the new year.

Acknowledge your growth. How have you grown or what have you learned about yourself over the past year? What knowledge and skills have you gained? How has your worldview expanded? Even small steps forward are progress. Recognizing your personal growth inspires gratitude and fuels your continued self-improvement.

Outline intentions for the new year. What does your ideal next year look like? What types of experiences do you want to have? What knowledge and skills do you want to cultivate? What relationships do you want to strengthen? Envision and define what you would like to manifest in the coming year.

Turn intentions into goals. Based on your reflections from the past year and vision for the new year, set some goals to provide structure and motivation. Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. Break down large goals into smaller action steps. Outlining thoughtful goals helps bring about personal growth.

Plan to overcome potential challenges. For each goal, list any potential roadblocks, challenges, or pitfalls you may face. Then make an action plan to overcome each challenge. Preparing solutions to possible barriers will help you stay on track when challenges arise.

Schedule regular reflection time. Monthly or quarterly self-reflection allows you to celebrate growth, readjust goals as needed and maintain motivation for your future. Building in regular time to reflect on your thoughts, feelings and progress will help keep you grounded and aware.

Using the tips we outlined, our reflection helped us form some new intentions. One of these is to spend our time more efficiently. And yes, we’ll be building in regular reflection time in our schedule to help us achieve our intentions and goals.

What about you? How will you reflect on the past year and plan for the new year? The new year brings an opportunity for renewal and growth. Take advantage of the fresh start by reflecting thoughtfully on the past year and setting intentions for the months ahead.

With introspection, clear goals, and proactive planning, you can make steady progress toward achieving your highest aspirations. And remember the wise words of Thomas S. Monson, “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” Wishing you all the best in the new year ahead!

We invite you to watch our short related video at https://vimeo.com/307820352.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2023 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.