Please don't leave!!!

​When we near the end of one year and anticipate the start of a new, there's typically a lot of buzz in the air about what each new year will bring and all that we have to look forward to: new energy, new opportunities, new experiences, new relationships.  And this time around, no different than others, there's a great deal of excitement and anticipation in the atmosphere about what 2017 will hold. Before you exit 2016, however, and leap into the New Year, I encourage you, even challenge you, to do something before you make that leap.

Regardless of what kind of year this year has been for you--your best year, yet; your worst year, yet; or somewhere in the middle--over the next few days, before this year ends, take some time to reflect.  Whether a few minutes or a few hours, carve out some time to think about this past year.  If 2016 was a stellar year for you, where you accomplished many achievements and experienced many milestones, take some time to reflect on and savor them  before you bolt into 2017 full speed ahead.  Or maybe this year hasn't been all or any of what you envisioned it would be when the year started.  Perhaps, you've had some setbacks and you're trying to make a comeback that hasn't yet happened.  Maybe you've encountered some hurdles that you have still, yet, to conquer.  Or you're  climbing a mountain or digging out of a ditch, where the top nor bottom are nowhere in sight.  Still, I encourage you to take some time to reflect.

Years ago, I began forcing myself to pause and ponder, particularly in between transitions, especially when winding down one year and approaching a new.  By nature, I have a very hyper-active mind, so as soon as I enter a new experience or experience a new achievement, accomplishment, or milestone, I'm already automatically thinking about the next one unless I intentionally "put a pause."  I've had times where I've arrived at situation "A" and within minutes of my arrival, even though I'm physically still there, my mind is already on to situation "B."  So, unless I force myself to slow down, and maybe even stop, I'll just race from one place to another, from one hurdle to another, from one milestone, mountain, or ditch to another, or from one year to the next without ever taking time to reflect as I transition.

But why reflect?  Why is reflecting so important?  Why have I asked you to do this? Simply, because I'd like you to experience the value of, at least, three benefits that reflecting has to offer regardless of what kind of year you've had:

1. Confidence. Reflecting boosts confidence. Whether you soared or struggled throughout the year, you are still here!  Whether you were on top of a mountain or in the depths of a ditch, you still came up against hurdles and obstacles, but in spite of what you encountered and may still be dealing with, you're still here and you're still standing, and that should fuel your confidence and bump it up to a new level;
2. Closure.  Reflecting brings closure.  If the year hasn't gone quite as you expected, you may just want it over already so that you can just get on with the new.  Or maybe the year was greater than you expected and you're pumped about what lies ahead.  Either way, why start the new without taking time to consider the old?  It doesn't matter how new the New Year will be or what this year has been, we all have areas where we need to grow and room where we need to improve.  If we take certain things from the old into the new, the new may end up looking identical to the old, particularly in those areas that fell short of what we wanted. So, taking time to consider things like our thoughts, attitudes, words, actions, and behaviors that we need to intentionally bring closure to in 2016 will help us to not subconsciously carry into 2017 those things about ourselves that we need to change; and 
3. Gratitude.  Reflecting builds gratitude. Whether at a peak or in a valley, none of us is without something, and really many things, to be thankful for.  If 2016 was off the charts for you in terms of success, remember, you didn't achieve that success on your own.  People helped you along the way, and that should not be taken lightly.   On the other hand, if 2016 missed the mark for you as far as success goes, keep in mind, you still had victories along the way.  Remember, you've won some battles and those battles matter even if you haven't, yet, won the war, and likewise, you don't  have to score every point to win the game, so the points you have scored, in spite of the ones you haven't, matter.  But, see, this is why reflecting is so important.  It's really easy to become consumed with our losses and the points we didn't score that we fail to appreciate our wins, even if they're small, and the points we did score.  Again, though, even if you're still in a war or you haven't yet won the game, thankfully, you're still in it, you're not down for the count, and you haven't been defeated.  

So, as you prepare to leave this year in order to enter the next one, please don't leave without giving yourself the gifts that reflecting will give you.  Wishing you Confidence, Closure, and Gratitude as You Reflect on Your Past Year!!!

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