These days, time appears to be racing. For some of us, it seems like just the other day, we were welcoming in a new year. For others, it may feel like the year has hobbled on, bringing weighty and unpleasant news, as father time slowly drags his feet.
As the end of the year approaches, now is a powerful time to practice intentionality around closing out the year and welcoming in a new one. Intentional practices help us to tap into our ability to take control of our lives. They create the space for us to access insight, invite imagination and experience gratitude.
Like the four seasons or the four quarters of the year, here are four practical steps to end your year with purpose.
1. Review & Reflect
Set aside some time to spend in thoughtful reflection about your year. A journal or notebook might be very supportive for this process. You may want to pull out your calendar and take a look at significant events, month by month. As you look back at both the major and minor events that shaped your year, notice any themes that may emerge. What was a consistent focus? What major changes did you experience? What milestones did you achieve? Write down what comes up for you as you review. Note what you want to take with you into the new year and also, what you want to leave behind.
There are free annual review workbooks that are dedicated specifically to this exercise. Year Compass is a popular example. The Bridge Your Year workbook is another option. Both offer helpful prompts that allow you to capture not only the highs and lows of your experience but the lessons and insights you can keep.
2. Acknowledge
Another part of bringing this cycle to an end is with gratitude. Write a Thank You letter to the last 12 months, acknowledging all of the aspects that defined the year for you. Whether you enjoyed success and accomplishment or endured grief and loss, take time to give thanks for your full experience.
This exercise can help you to accept and integrate what the year brought forward for you. You can acknowledge gifts you received, lessons learned, clarity gained, moments of happiness, unexpected losses, chapters closed, painful endings, new relationships or long-time connections.
Stay with gratitude for a while and enjoy the benefits of activating this frequency.
3. Set Intentions
After taking time to reflect and acknowledge what has been, it’s time to look forward. Setting intentions is a powerful way to focus your energy. It allows you to hold a vision and set a course for what you’d like to manifest into reality. Below are three thought starters that you can use to support your intention setting. You may want to write in your journal or make art around these. Another option is to practice a visioning mediation. Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes and sit with your eyes gently closed. Allow yourself to witness your vision unfolding on the screen of your mind.
- Choose 1 word that you want to focus on as an anchor for the coming year. What does that word mean to you? What does it look like in material form?
- Write the most important thing you want to achieve, experience or consistently feel in the 5 major areas of life: Family & Friendships; Career & Finances; Hobbies & Interests; Spirituality; Health & Wellness.
- What are your greatest assets and strengths that can support the intention(s) you are setting for the next year? What areas might you need to improve on or get support with?
4. Celebrate
Now comes the fun part – Celebration! What better way to bring your cycle to a close that with some heart-led movement. You can opt for an all-out body shakin’ dance party or a focused yoga flow. You can take a lovely stroll or go for a hike. Whatever you choose, make moving your body a key part of your process.
Here are a few ideas to celebrate with movement:
- create a playlist of songs around your intention or theme for the new year
- take a yoga class focused on grounding or calming like yin or slow flow
- have a kitchen dance party and enjoy a special treat or beverage after
- play outdoors with young kids or pets in your life
Bringing awareness and intention to closing cycles is a powerful practice. It is especially helpful for making sure we grasp and integrate the lessons along our life journey. No matter how fast time is moving, we can always make time to slow down, tune inwards, give thanks and celebrate our experience.
Joyanne Howell, CSC, CYT
Joyanne Howell is a wellness consultant, coach, and retreat host with over 20 years of experience in corporate consulting. After overcoming burnout in her own career, she now helps organizations improve employee engagement and retention while supporting professionals and entrepreneurs to reclaim their energy, vitality and efficiency. Joy is also a certified coach and yoga educator who has trained and taught around the globe. She believes in yoga as a way of living - not just as a form of exercise. Follow her on Instagram @joyanneh
