The end of the year can be bittersweet. It is dual in nature, a dying of the old and the beginning of something new. It can put our accomplishments and failures in sharp focus, and force us to reflect on how we’ve spent the year. For me, the transition from autumn to winter—the cold nip in the air descending into chill, the trees shedding their glorious heads of red and gold, the sunlight prematurely creeping into night—has always triggered re-evaluation, and lots and lots of mixed emotions. Are you struggling with year end blues? Here are five tips to help you kiss 2015 goodbye and greet 2016 with a huge smile.
1. Go ahead, look back.
Say it with me and Socrates: “An unexamined life is not worth living.” It’s healthy to sit down and take stock of events and choices that led us to where we are in life at this particular moment in time. Was there anything you could have done better? Are there self-destructive habits you need to let go of? When we look back, we not only take time to acknowledge our actions and learn from them; it also helps us notice certain situations, people, or patterns that may no longer serve us.
“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different.” (C.S. Lewis)
“It’s okay to look back at the past. Just don’t stare.” (Benjamin Dover)
2. Highlight the successes.
Though looking for ways to improve is a good thing, there is nothing wrong with giving ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. Perhaps you were able to lock down the apartment of your dreams this year. Or finally got around to starting a small savings account or investment fund. Maybe you quit smoking or stuck to your gym regimen. No matter how trivial it may seem, personal successes and accomplishments are worth toasting to. So clink, clink!
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” (Anne Sweeney)
“Celebrate your success and find humor in your failures.” (Sam Walton)
3. Forgive yourself.
This piece of advice is something I constantly have to remind myself to practice. I am my worst critic. It’s so easy to beat ourselves up for our so-called failures. So maybe you didn’t get the promotion you were expecting. Or maybe you feel like you didn’t work hard enough to achieve your goals. Perhaps a relationship you put so much energy in ended. Sometimes, we can be so kind to other people but so hard on ourselves. We are all perfectly flawed. And we have to love and forgive ourselves despite our faults and flaws in the same way that we love and forgive others in spite of their imperfections.
“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.” (Oprah Winfrey)
“Detach from needing to have things work out a certain way. The universe is perfect and there are no failures. Give yourself the gift of detaching from your worries and trust that everything is happening perfectly.” (Orin)
4. Give thanks.
Make a list of everything you are thankful for this year. Gather friends and family ’round the table, and let them know how lucky you feel to have them in your life. The habit of thankfulness is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. The more we focus on what we’re grateful for in life, the more we notice the abundance of blessings around us.
“Happiness isn’t about getting what you want all the time. It’s about loving what you have and being grateful for it.” (Asher Roth)
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but a parent of all the others.” (Cicero)
5. Celebrate!
Lastly, get those dancing shoes on and shake that booty on the dance floor! You are alive here and now, and the future is blazing in front of you. Shake it to the left for the 365 days you lived in 2015. Shake it to the right for the 365 days of newness up ahead. Let 2015 go and open your heart wide wide wide for all the loving, learning, and living that’s in store for you this new year!
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
“Live life like everything is rigged in your favor.” (Rumi)
Featured photo credit: Sunrise in Calgary/davebloggs007 via flickr.com
