Ep: #32 - Assess the year in order to grow and flourish

Faye Casement Author

Mar 22, 2023 |

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Wow! Unbelievable! We are nearly at the end of 2021. It has gone sooo fast!

The end of the year is often a time for reflection and growth. Taking time to consider all that's happened in the past twelve months, and using that knowledge to set goals and plan for the future can be super powerful.

You might have set some big goals and achieved them, or maybe things didn't quite go as planned. Either way, it's important to take time at the end of the year to reflect and grow from what happened this past year so that you can be better next year.

The Triple-A 2021 Round Up is an exercise designed specifically for self reflection so that you can get clear on how you want to grow in your life over the coming months.

Take some time to reflect back on how you spent your year and what you accomplished this past year. What were your goals at the beginning of the year? What did you do well? What could have been better?

Aim to review everything from January 1st until December 31st.

In life, what you focus on will grow. And this is why it's so important to take time out of the year to reflect and look back with a growth mindset. It can be easy to get caught up in life's busyness and forget about your goals, but when life slows down at the end of December it's a perfect opportunity for reflection. A new year is coming which means a new set of opportunities- an opportunity to grow from all that happened in this past year and make changes for next year! The questions I will go in to now will only takes about 15 minutes to complete and will help you think about how you want things to go differently in your life over the coming months. So give yourself some self care today by doing this quick review!

Why not pop in to the Wellness4Women3a Facebook group and watch the live replay.  Comment a #solong2021 and I will send you the workbook.

So lets move on in to the prompts...

What did you accomplish this year that made you proud?

There are bound to be things that you're proud of from this past year. Maybe you started a new job and excelled in it, or maybe you ran your first marathon. Whatever it is, take a moment to reflect on the things you did well this year and be proud of yourself!

It is important to celebrate your wins, no matter how big or small.

For me 2021 was a year of lots of little changes that added up in terms of my weight loss and a really big change that I would like to celebrate that with you.

I have worked in a HR advisory capacity for over 20 years and as a result I have spoken to and coached many clients and got them from A to B. This year however, I decided I wanted to take this further and decided to combine the experience I have in supporting others with my passion for self development and weight loss. As such I have qualified to become a life coach with some vigorous coach training and I am expecting to get the professional certification through early in the year.

I have a huge passion to help others achieve what I never thought possible which was to lose weight without feeling restricted and restrictive diet methodologies. Weight loss can be easier that the diet industry lets on with a power combo of coaching and mindful eating.

I may have lost 65lb but I have gained so much more. The old me would not have had the balls to start a business for starters which had always been a dream of mine, the old me gave up on "diets" and put weight on like a yo-yo and the old me had was so fearful she shrunk away from challenges but this past year has really cemented in the foundations of change that I started in 2019 and 2020.

What did you not accomplish this year that you wish you had?

Now let's take a look at the things where you feel like you could have done better. Maybe it's something related to your health did you fail to reach your weight loss goal or did you continue having issues with your mental health? Whatever it is, don't beat yourself up about it.

Remember, any journey and growth isn't linear so it's okay not to have a linear trajectory for improvement. You didn't achieve everything you set out to and that's okay!

Lets get curious instead.

Try and look at the situation as neutrally as possible, if it helps think about if you were talking to a friend. How would you be discussing it with them?

What are the facts of the situation? The facts do not gain any meaning or emption until we add a thought to them.

For me I wish I had reached my goal weight. I am only a couple of pounds off and I could have made it but I self sabotaged at the last minute. This happens. I could go in to self judgement over it but I am not I am going to look to set myself with doable actions and foundations and I will hit it in the new year instead. The difference is I have the confidence to go change it and I will not wallow and allow myself to be the victim of the situation.

What did you learn about you this year?

This is the perfect time to take a step back and reflect on everything you've learned in the last 365 days. Whether it was something practical, like learning how to make the perfect roast chicken, or something deeper like learning to ignore haters who tell you can't do something, it's important to reflect on what you learned!

I have learnt a lot of things from an education point of view as I have not only been learning about life coaching tools and techniques, marketing, as well as keeping up on HR goings on, so I clarified this question for me to be what did you learn about you this year. I have learnt how tenacious have become. As said I used to be a quitter! Going would get tough and I would take the easy route and get going but not any more. I assess what I want and go for it, assessing and correcting as I go - knowing the importance of failing forward.

If there is anything from this past year that you want to remember, what would it be and why?

It's important to take time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life we can take life for granted sometime to the point we forget to revel in the little moments.

So what would they be for you?

This year I want to remember how wonderful it has been to meet people from all over the place and especially other countries. I have marvelled at the fact that the like of Zoom and Facebook can allow me to feel connected to others and part of communities even when physically apart and that has been so important to me this past couple of years with Covid and not being able to meet up as much with family and local friends. I want to remember this as connecting is so important as is being part of a community and it is what I want to really build on in 2022.

What are your hopes for the coming year

One of the best things about the new year is that it's a time for new beginnings. It's a time to set fresh goals and dreams for yourself and work towards them. So, what are your hopes for the coming year?

Maybe you want to learn a new skill or travel to new places. Or maybe you want to be more mindful and work on your self-care. Whatever it is, make sure to write it down so you can keep track of it!

I like the idea of things like busy jars and travel jars you know where you make a jar with say popsicle sticks and then you pick them out and do them.

For me this year I will get to my goal weight, work on body toning and continue to build my business and support as many people as I can in their life and weight loss journeys.

What are your fears about the coming year?

Just like we have hopes for the coming year, we also have fears. Maybe you're scared that you won't be able to achieve your goals or that something bad will happen to your loved ones. Whatever it is, take a moment to write down your fears so you can address them head on!

Just because we're entering a new year doesn't mean the problems of the year before will magically go away. Life is full of ups and downs, so take time to reflect on this past year and prepare for a new journey ahead.

Having had recent health scare in the family this is currently weighing heavy, so I will be ensuring I work on balance in the new year so that I spend quality time with family and friends.

How can you make next year a better year that this one?

A good trick is to make two lists, one for habits you want to continue, and another for ideas you want to implement in the future year. This is a great way to identify positive changes that can improve your day-to-day habits for 2021!

You do not want to go to far out here with your planning as a lot can change maybe loosely flesh out 1 or 2 stretch goals, 2 or 3 big goals and then focus more on a action plan for the first quarter of that year which I am going to cover next time. The important thing is not to overreach - stretch yourself yes, but make sure it's realistic! And don't forget to give yourself some time off and enjoy the moment. 

Join me next week for more on this as we will cover setting your intentions for 2022.

Very briefly though I want to really continue to practice all of the things I learnt and keep all the things I value and stand for. I love the idea of living in flow, with balance, with integrity and I strongly believe in having and bringing joy as my core values so I will work on being aligned with these were possible.

How will you take care of yourself in the coming year?

Self-care is so important, especially during times of stress. How will you take care of yourself in the coming year?

Maybe you want to start a daily meditation practice or commit to going to the gym three times a week. Whatever it is, make sure that it's something that is manageable for you! The idea behind self-care is that it doesn't have to be complicated - just find ways in which you can enjoy yourself in small doses throughout your day.

I am going to continue to work on my movement routine but I have always wanted to be a yogi so will be looking to increase time spent doing yoga.

Conclusion

The New Year always provides a clean slate and a fresh beginning, so it's important to use this time to reflect on the past year and plan for the future. Don't let fear or old habits hold you back - just face them head-on so that you can have an amazing year!

As said earlier if you want the full worksheet that goes with this blog message me #solong2021. 

Join me next week where we will cover in more depth setting your intentions and planning your year ahead.

Want to get started on losing weight for the last time? 

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Categories: : life coaching, mindfulness, self development, self love