So yet again we have come to that time of the year i.e The End of the year.
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 make us realise our accomplishments and failures, and force us to reflect on how we’ve spent the year. It will not just be a transition of a new season and year but a new you. Here are five tips to help you kiss 2018 goodbye and greet 2019 with a broad smile.
Look ahead, cherish old memories.
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)
Focus on what lies ahead and in the meanwhile cherish the moments that had already passed by.
Highlight what you achieved.
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. Focus on the little things that you achieved this year, maybe getting a new job or a phone. It could be anything. Just cherish those things.
“Celebrate your success and find humour in your failures.” (Sam Walton)
Forgive yourself.
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 you didn’t get the job you always dreamt of. 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)
Give thanks for everything.
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. It will not only give you peace but also a sense of achievement.
Count your blessings, name them one by one 🙂
“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)
Let the Celebration begin!
Last but not least, take a time out to celebrate and party till you drop! You are alive here and now, and the future is blazing in front of you. Shake it to the left for the 12 months you lived this year. Shake it to the right for the 12 months of newness up ahead. Let the new year go and open your heart wide wide wide for all the new things, experience, loving, learning, and living that’s in store for you!
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
