Reviewing, dreaming, inviting, planning
The year is ending.
Sure, December the 31st/January the 1st is just a date, a line marked in the sand because you have to start somewhere.
Maybe the winter solstice would be a better day, or the beginning of spring.
In any case, the earth went around the sun1 once more, and it is useful to stop, consider what happened, regroup, decide (or dream, or both) what next.
I (Alex) tend to actually do it at least twice a year, since I feel that my favorite summer event2, Nowhere3 is often another moment of ending and restarting.
“Ah, this is what happened in last 12 months, and this is a new direction”.
Our birthday is another good moment. Less so, if you want to do it with someone else, though (??? because we don’t speand new year or nowhere with others?).
In any case: at least once a year, I like to review what happened, what went well, what could have been better, what to keep, what to change, what to stop, what to invite.
Photo by Z on Unsplash
How to do it?
A couple of years ago we shared a very parts work informed version of this process: Mapping the past: a path to moving forward.
We were inspired by the Year Compass, that we really like and recommend.
There are many more ways to review.
Here is a short, streamlined version.
Do only what feels good. A little is better than nothing. Your own version you love is better than a “perfect”4 version you don’t use or dislike.
Go through the year
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash
(looking at the calendar is best, but you can just remember), and list:
what was great
what was not so great
what was surprising
Then commit and try to find ways to have more of the good and less of the bad.
Possible questions to ask about the year gone
what did I change my mind on?
what created energy?
what drained energy?
what lessons did I learn?
what did I discover?
what do I want to keep?
how can I invite/ create more of the good and less of the bad next year?
Notes on parts:
Some parts will cringe at the mistakes. See if you can frame what happened as an experiment. “At least we tried” or “what could be different next time”.
Some parts will want to celebrate. In many of us, they are very quiet, a bit shy: they got the memo long ago that we should not boast or be proud of ourselves. See if you can celebrate at least in a small way. See if you could agree for a big way.
Enjoy!
Let us know how it worked for you.
1 (no, really)
2 remember summer?
3 a smaller, poorer, European version of Burning Man; there are several in Europe and around the world, I happened to fall in love with Nowhere
4 according to whom, anyway?