These last two years have been quite a lot, to say the least. 2021 may not have gone exactly how many people had hoped.
For some people, it may have been a good year with many successes and happiness. For others, 2021 may have been a year of disappointments and heartache.
I was talking with my friend Kim the other day and she was getting anxious about going into 2022. She had some personal difficulties last year, including a break up from a long-term relationship and health issues. She felt that the whole year was a disaster and couldn’t seem to imagine positive thoughts about the future.
Bad Memories Stick Better Than Good
As with many of us, the difficult and challenging times stick in our memories much more than the times we were happy. In order to really take a good look at the past year, I suggested a reflection exercise for her to try.
Like so many of us, she needed to take the time to reflect on both good and bad times in order to get a clearer picture of the year.
First, I had her look back at each month using her calendar, photos, etc. Once she did that, I posed these questions for her to answer:
Reflect on the Past Year
- What am I most proud of?
- What challenges did I overcome
- What did I learn about myself? About others in my life?
- How did I make a difference in the world?
- When did I have the most fun?
When she completed this exercise she noticed that there were actually many moments of happiness and even joy in her year. She had been promoted in her job, her daughter graduated from college and she began a yoga practice again (which she had let go during her relationship).
Once she completed her reflection of the past year, I then posed these questions:
Look at the Year Ahead:
- What do I want to achieve in 2022?
- What challenges may come up this year? How will I manage them?
- What new things do I want to learn this year?
- How do I want to show up this year in work and in my relationships?
- How can I have MORE fun this year?
After these exercises, she truly felt more excited and optimistic about the year ahead and what she wanted to accomplish.
I challenge you to give this exercise a try and see what you discover! Hit REPLY to share your thoughts. I would love to hear what you have in store for 2022!
If you feel like you’ve lost your motivation in any area of your life, reach out to me at lisa@lisademarcocoaching.com and we can work together to get it back!