Reflections on a Year: Lessons and Mistakes

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 118

Dec 26, 2024

Holiday Greetings, dear friends,

In a few days, we will be ringing in the New Year. Two thoughts come to mind.

On one hand, I marvel at how fast the year went by. On the other, I can’t believe the end of 2024 is here.

No matter how fast or slow the year has passed, now is the perfect time to reflect on the year and plan for the New Year.

In this newsletter:

A year in review.
Life lessons and reminders.
What my year revealed.

How was your year?

Reviewing the year for what has worked and hasn’t worked is important for personal growth.

Last year, I followed Gretchen Rubin’s “Happier Trifecta” approach to planning goals for my new year. You can read about it in Take Pen to Paper: Edition 66. I reviewed those goals and my newsletters to reflect on my 2024. Briefly, here’s what I came up with:

I started on all goals but one.
I started five goals but gave up on one, which was contingent upon another. That was a mistake.
I worked on nine goals a lot but did not see them complete.
Five of the goals I saw through to the end of the year, with two becoming habits.

What did I learn from my goals this year? For me, goals to meet daily should only be written if I want to create a habit. Twenty-four goals are too many for me unless they are one-and-done goals. For 2025, I will take a new approach.

My favorite action to carry me through the year with intention is to choose a word (or phrase) to focus on for the year. For 2024, I chose “current” to remind me to be present in the moment and to flow around obstacles finding a path like a stream. I’ve worn a ring all year to remind me of my focus.

Two Things that Stand Out

As I reviewed my year, I couldn’t help but notice how some events seemed so long ago, which I equate with time moving slowly. Other events seemed like yesterday. That would be time moving fast.

The events that seemed like yesterday fell into two categories.

First, they were connected to life lessons, like realizing gratitude for the smallest things can represent gratitude for many things (Take Pen to Paper: Edition 111).

Second, they are events that I see reminders of daily. Every time I pass the spot where I watched the turtle lay eggs, I am reminded that I need to pay attention to the world around me (Take Pen to Paper: 96).

Both of these observations fit in with my theme of the year, ‘current.’ I must be present in the moment and pay attention to my surroundings to see all I have to be grateful for.

What to Carry Forward

A review of your year should reveal actions to carry forward and those to leave behind.

I will continue to choose a word of the year to remind me of where to focus.

I will not write 25 goals, to have 25 goals. I will concentrate on the areas in which I’ve made progress and want to continue making progress and try some goals in new areas, too. That may sound vague to you, but I have some things in mind.

I chose to do these because they worked for me this year, and I think they will work for me again. The rest I plan to leave behind. That’s not to say I won’t try a new strategy if it comes along.

When you review your year, ask yourself what has worked and what hasn’t. If you discover one action to carry with you, your time reflecting will be worth it.

Plan your New Year around what works for you.

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on my year to help plan for the New Year. 🤩
It’s good to pinpoint the positive and the negative, so you will know what to carry forward and what to leave behind. 💼
You can find Gretchen Rubin’s “Design Your Year, Your Way” for 2025 here.
It’s good to remember that with a positive mindset, you can learn something when a plan or goal doesn’t work out.
Do you want to reflect on your year, but you’re not sure where to start? Just put “how to reflect for the new year” in your favorite browser for a strategy that works for you. 🤔
If you are interested in why time seems to pass slowly or fast, this article might have some answers for you.
It’s a good thing to try on your word of the year in advance. You have time to do it this week. I’m trying on the word “flex.” I’ll tell you more next year.

Thank you for reading. This week, reflect on your 2024. I’ll be back next year to see how things are going and share more stories of gratitude and good.

Until next time,

💚

Susan

How do you like to reflect on your year? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to read about it.

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