You have gone through your year and found reason for celebration: maybe it was spending time with people you care about, achieving your goal of running a 5k, or keeping on task with a household project. Each month, big or small, victories happened as life marched on…
And, in every life, disappointments happen along with the victories. Sometimes disappointments come from life throwing you a curveball: maybe an unexpected illness, a promotion not received, or a lost connection with a friend. These are events that we need to take stock and reflect on as well. What were your biggest disappointments from the year? No judgement, just acknowledgement.
The Process:
- Take a deep breath and center yourself.
- Think about the moments decision, situations that caused disappointments this year.
- Write down all that come to you. Remember, no judgement. No judgement also means no “shoulds.”
- Look at the list and and give yourself grace. These disappointments are lessons for you, not definitions of you.
Why is this process important?
To quote Jinny A. Ditzler in her book Your Best Year Yet:
“There’s more value then you can imagine in writing these disappointments down. While it seems like something to avoid…I have always felt a great weight lift from me when I gave myself time to think about what happened rather than pretending it didn’t hurt so much.”
Great power comes from acknowledging it all. Owning it all. Remember- no judgement, just acknowledgement. We are moving forward!
