A Reflection Exercise 

I love New Year’s Day. I like it because almost the entire planet as a collective is doing a process of assessment and creation. It’s that time of the year when we look back at everything that’s happened in 2021 and also look forward to what we want to create 2022. We energetically close a cycle and open another. I think of it like a graduation to the next version of myself. 

I have a feeling you already know some of the wonderful things you want to create! I want you to have all those things!!!  So I’m sharing a reflection exercise on how we can very clearly and cleanly close up the lessons this past year has brought us. It’s much easier to move forward and graduate into the next shiny level of yourself if you are clear on the lessons you’ve now got under your belt. 

Reflection Exercise: 

Get some pen and paper out and have some nonjudgmental reflections. There is no right or wrong in how you handled something. You did what you did, and that is that. When you have the belief that everything is for your growth, upliftment, and learning, it really all is perfect. I’m encouraging you to do a healthy assessment, without being negative and judgmental with yourself. (Afterall, being judgmental is sooo 2021, and we’re already beyond that, right?) 

On your paper, write down your answers to these questions:  

1. Assessment of the Past: 
   1. What were your lessons? What challenged you? How were you pressurized? 
2. Healthy Release: 
   1. Feel whatever feelings are wanting to move through. Remember that emotions are simply energy in motion. Allow them to move. When they have been expressed, you will experience a lot more clarity. 
3. Present Tense Gratitude: 
   1. Next, move into gratitude for yourself. Take some time to acknowledge the diamond you’re becoming. Acknowledge yourself for the fact that whatever challenge came your way, you are still here, and you are still willing to grow. That in itself is huge. You deserve to feel proud of yourself. Write down some sweet gratitudes for yourself. 
4. Your Future Self: 
   1. Next, let’s look at the future. Write down some of the ways you are being asked to evolve and grow. What new skills were being created in you by those challenging situations? How would your more evolved, future self handle things?
5. Take Action: 
   1. What are some small action steps you can take today to move closer to this more evolved behavior as we move into 2022? 
   2. Small steps are the things that create great plans. What are some new things you’d like to implement into your daily life moving forward? 
6. Go Ahead and Celebrate to Merge with Your Future Self: 
   1. The best way to bring your future self towards the present moment is to feel the emotions (especially gratitude) that your future self is feeling and bring those into your body, right here and now. Are you feeling joy? Accomplishment? Peacefulness? Stability? Bring up what each of these feels like and fill your body with these feelings. Write down what these feelings are in present tense, positive language. Celebrate how far you’ve come!