How to End the Year With Intention

There is a strong urge to race to the next exciting thing, like little kids when they see cake. We all want to embrace the “new” and plunge headfirst into the excitement of 2024 with vision boards and aspirations. It is also essential to pause and reflect on the journey that was 2023. Setting intentions for the new year is important and envisioning the future is undoubtedly crucial, but often overlooked is the pivotal step of reflecting on the accomplishments and lessons learned over the past year. I have listed some meaningful exercises designed to help you close out the year with intention.

Start with Gratitude:

• Express your gratitude to God, friends, family members, etc for the memories and the experiences of 2023. Write letters to the people who impacted you most in 2023 either mail them or read them over the phone. Extend gratitude to yourself. Thank yourself for the courage, tenacity, and love you were able to express this year. This exercise helps to foster a positive mindset as you transition into the new year.

Highlight Your Achievements:

• Take stock of your 2023 accomplishments, big and small. Celebrate the milestones you've reached, the strides you have taken and acknowledge the progress you've made. Highlighting the wins, rather big or small, helps boost confidence and provide clarity on what strategies and efforts were successful.

Identify Learning Opportunities:

• There are always opportunities to grow and learn. Embrace the challenges and setbacks you encountered in 2023. Reflect on what went wrong and unearth the lessons embedded within those experiences. Setbacks are information. Failures are information. Information we can repurpose into a learning opportunity or growth opportunity.

Personal Growth Assessment (PGA):

• Evaluate how you've evolved as an individual over the past year by answering these 5 questions. 
• What significant achievements from the past year am I most proud of, and how did they contribute to my personal growth?
• How have I evolved as an individual, and what key lessons have I learned from challenges and setbacks?
• In what ways have I actively sought to learn and develop new skills, knowledge, or perspectives?
• How have my relationships positively impacted my personal growth, and are there areas where I can improve or nurture connections?
• What goals did I set for myself at the beginning of 2023, and how did they evolve? What new aspirations or goals have emerged?

Relationship Reflection:

• Reflect on your relationships – both personal and professional. What do you want more? Who do you want to spend more time with? Who do you need to set boundaries with? Identify the connections that brought joy and support and those that may need nurturing or adjustments. 

There is beauty in beginning something new and there is beauty in ending something with intention. As you focus on beginning this new chapter, don’t forget to close out 2023 in an intentional way. Embrace the wisdom gained from 2023, and let it propel you toward a year filled with growth, resilience, and success.