Last year is over. Now can be a productive time to review and assess the year and celebrate. What were your successes? Maybe you reached the stars in some areas, the moon in others while some places were barely off the ground. What did you learn from the places you felt like you failed?
Consider any goals, intentions or vision you set for yourself this year. Take the time to assess your specific wins and losses, so you can celebrate. Celebrate success, including those successes that may look different than you anticipated. Take the time to reflect on where you have been to more accurately figure out where you are and where you’re going next.
If you take the time to look at the year’s activities, you can see how you stacked up. Realistically some things may have lost importance and fallen off the list. It is valuable to maintain the flexibility to let things go as your life changes. A high school soccer player was counting on a sports scholarship to pay for college until she tore her anterior cruciate ligament, essential to knee movement. She considered the options without the scholarship and selected a local community college so she could save money. She was flexible in finding a new solution. Flexibility can allow you to redirect your energy to a new path more quickly.
Other items on your list may have been accomplished even more fully than you anticipated. What happened to allow that extra success? Those who are fully prepared are better able to take advantage of favorable circumstances. A man who sought a position as a bicycle tour guide had obtained the training and bought the bicycle and clothing specific to that job before he even applied. He was equipped. When he was offered the job, he was ready to go. Preparation or even courage may have allowed you to take a couple of steps at once.
You may have some bonus successes that were surprises. Some of my coaching clients have opened doors they were unaware of at the beginning of the year. One, who had been stuck on what to study, realized she enjoys her creativity. She then looked at art schools. That allows her to select her next step in response to her passion rather than acquiescing to whatever comes along. She moved past stuck and into motion in an entirely new and unanticipated area.
Perhaps there was an area that maintained itself as status quo. As you look at that, consider if maintenance was a victory. You may already be at the level you would like. If you are at your ideal weight, it’s a success to stay there!
The full-on wins are when you meet what you have set up for yourself. Celebrate those! Many times it is the small things that can be the biggest deal. Taking the time to savor your achievement gives you the space to fully let it in.
How was your 2015? As you take time to check it out, notice what you have accomplished and what you have learned. I would love to hear what you accomplished and learned. When you are clear where you are, then you can figure out where you would like to go in 2016. Are you ready for the stars?
Caron MacLane, a level three certified ski instructor, has fun teaching all ages at Crystal Mountain. The youngest child she has taught to turn a ski is 18 months, the oldest just turned a senior citizen. A three-year old she taught was racing and winning when he was six. Her happy clients include parents who say their children ski much better with Caron than those same children ski with their parents. In addition to teaching skiing, Caron is a personal coach. She integrates coaching on the slopes for people to learn life lessons on the snow. Watch for her upcoming book, How to Teach Your 3-Year-Old to Ski: A Guide to Low-Stress Family Fun on the Slopes. You can find out more at www.CaronCircleCC.com.
