Hey Hey Loves,
I’d like to introduce you to a yearly ritual that has made a HUMONGOUS difference in my life.
We all get excited when we start something new, and a new year just gives us this feeling of hope, possibility, a fresh start and ‘getting it right this time’.
When it comes to our health we often start the year with promises to eat better and be active. And many times what happens is that we start with a bang and with a lot of good intention and then something just fizzles.
One of the things that most of us fail to do is to release and bless the current year in order to create a renewed and improved new year. We need to take a good, honest look at the previous year and take some steps to heal, learn, grow and allow something wonderful to come out of that process. It is incredibly powerful and will put more real intention and resolve into your 2018’s dreams and goals.
Find some quite time…
Make yourself something yummy and hot to sip…
Go and sit at a cafe if you like (that’s what I do)…
Take a pen and paper, or journal or notebook…
Go over the following questions and write down your answers…
Those questions are POWERFUL and will MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!!! Guaranteed!
WHAT HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED IN 2017???
We often keep the majority of our focus on what we want and don’t have and we disregard what we actually accomplish. To help you create a more positive and accomplished 2018 we need to change that focus and celebrate every achievement.
Please fill a page with the healthy choices you made in the past year, big or small, even if you did not do them perfectly or consistently. The fact that you did them some of the time counts! The fact that you started and kept trying counts!
WHAT ARE YOU PROUD OF ABOUT 2017???
I tell my son many times a day “I am so proud of you!” So be a proud mama to yourself, start a page with “I am so proud of me for ___” and write down whatever comes up.
LIST 5 THINGS THAT HAVE BECOME A HEALTHY ROUTINE FOR YOU
Perhaps you are drinking water instead of soda, or eating more vegetables, or walking to work instead of taking the car. List any 5 things, big or small that are now part of what you do.
WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR???
We often take it for granted that we have hands that work, legs that walk, eyes that see. Our bodies are a miracle and our lives are filled with goodness. That’s another page filler, think of the past year and list all the things that you are grateful for.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED???
Every experience is a great teacher, no matter how hard it is. Sometimes, if we don’t learn and change, life will give us the same lesson, over and over. So reflect and think and write, what did 2017 teach you?
WHAT WAS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT WORK BETTER IN 2018?
Maybe you need to change a behavior like eating late at night, or start the day in a more positive frame of mind. Maybe you ignored your body’s signals and need to start paying attention, or you intended to start yoga but never made it to a single class. Think about WHY it did not work. Sometimes it means that you need to choose SMALLER steps and work your way up gradually. Sometimes it means that you need to start in a different area of your life. Sometimes you are trying to do things on your own and need more structure and support. Journal, reflect and let your mind come up with the answers.
WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO LET GO OF?
This is a big one. We get very attached to old habits, we get caught in addictive behavior and we are often afraid of change even when we long for it. Honestly, what are you really willing to let go of? What things, behaviors, people, situations no longer serve you, or maybe even sabotage you? Are you willing to let go of them? We can experience a sense of loss when we let go but we are actually making room for a big wonderful gain.
Do it slowly. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on each and every question, just the ones that speak to you. Give yourself a couple of hours to do it. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be a friend to yourself. When you are done bless 2017 and release it. Write some goodbye words from your heart. This is a necessary process to help you create an AMAZING 2018!!!
I would love to hear about your process in the comments.
xoxo Rachel
Rachel, great post. I do similar questions at the end of the year and monthly for my business as a mini check in. Wishing you a wonderful 2018! Blessings Lisa xx
Excellent questions to clear the decks for an even better year to come!
I absolutely love this ritual and plan to share it with my clients, friends and family! The questions are fabulous and the intention on reflecting on 2017 before moving into 2018 is brilliant and empowering! Thank you so much Rachel!
Powerful post Rachel and I will follow your lead. This is a great exercise to go through as it takes us through our year with awareness and expansion as we welcome new energy to flow into the new year ahead. Thank you and happy holidays! xo
Hi Rachel, Thanks for sharing your end of year ritual. Some great questions for reflection! I will definitely add some of these to my current practice.
A lovely set of questions. I think I might add yours to the time I’ve set aside to do the Review • Complete • Release journey I’ve created for my own clients and followers. Thanks!
These are great reflection questions, Rachel! Flow into the new year resonates with an upgrade from the previous!
I love these questions! So often we are so focused on what we want to do in the new year that we fail to acknowledge the best of the old one. This is as much a ritual of closure as it is a light to follow for the future. I can’t wait to try it out (although I may save it for New Year’s Eve)!
I love your list of questions to ask our selves (especially this one – WHAT WAS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT WORK BETTER IN 2018?). You have a special way of inspiring us to dig a little deeper and gain insights. Happy New Year, my dear friend!
Love these questions. Will do the exercise. Thank you!
Appreciating the comprehensive nature of your questions, Rachel. I’ll be adding them to my own New Year’s Ritual. I especially like, “When you are done bless 2017 and release it. Write some goodbye words from your heart.”