Mindfully Start the New Year with an End of the Year Reflection
Grab your free end of the year reflection printable (and one for your kids!) below!
Why You Should Consider Doing an End of the Year Reflection
End of the year reflections are not only good for you, but they are also necessary for clarity, focus and personal growth. In today’s world, we tend the sprint from one thing to the next without much reflective thought to the ‘thing’ we just ended. It’s as if we are just trying to finish the biggest to-do list ever without taking time out to check and see if the to-do’s are actually benefitting us.
This is one of the problems with resolutions. It’s sometimes just us jumping onto “the next thing” without considering where we are or what our real goals are. We are so busy with our heads down that we forget to look up and choose a North Star to guide us. North Star, you ask? It’s what I refer to when I talk about setting intentions. Reflections are an essential self-awareness tool that reminds us to look up and find a North Star guide.
Benefits of Doing an End of the Year Reflection
Have you ever had to untangle a necklace? There’s hardly a task that’s more frustrating. But if you lose your cool, you’ll tighten the tangle. You need focus, attention, clarity, perseverance and patience - just to name a few.
That is what reflection does in our brains. It untangles the experiences we have with our expectations and can help us find meaningful growth opportunities from what sometimes looks like a tangle of life chaos.
When we take time to patiently focus on the past, we can learn clarity from our experiences to grow, learn and not doom ourselves to repeat things that don’t serve us. Focus can also help us find new areas we want to grow in. When we reflect on the past, we can more easily see clear steps to our future.
Benefits of Asking Your Kids to do an End of the Year Reflection
What if someone had shown you how to be self-aware enough to reflect on your experiences as a young kid? Would it have saved you from some behavior patterns or not so smart choices? Probably. Impulsivity in our youth is on the rise. Refection is an active practice to that helps us be methodical in our thinking - the opposite of impulsive. We want kids who are patient, focused, goal-driven and thoughtful and reflection helps build all of those skills.
Brain building isn’t the only benefit, however. Doing this end of the year reflection activity with your kids also gives you a glimpse into their thoughts and dreams. That will help you better guide them while you build stronger family connections. It will also help you promote optimistic, growth and emotional resilient mindsets.
As for your kids, it will help them learn how to build closure while building hope and growth mindsets. If your child had a rough year in a certain area, stopping to reflect, acknowledge and then discussing how to make a change can be very empowering in building confidence in the ability to make changes.
Tips on Creating an Environment Worthy of Reflection
Simmer with the questions for a day or two. I like to read them and then mindfully mull them over in my mind, setting aside time before bed to read a question or two and pause and think about my answers. You could even write them on sticky notes and leave them places (kitchen counter/car) where you might have a mindful minute to be reflective. Then, sit down and write them out. You will be surprised how your thinking changes after letting them simmer for a few days.
Ask your child to do the same and help them fill out the page if needed. This can be a great conversation piece for you and your child to navigate toward connection. Starting the year off with direction and connection because we took time out to reflect on our past helps us move the needle of where we want to go.
You are your child’s biggest role model. If you put this ritual in your family schedule as one of importance, your child will begin to understand the importance as well. Finding a quiet, peaceful time and giving your child time to mindfully think and reflect.