Will It Really Be a New Year?

Will It Really Be a New Year?

The New Year promises a fresh start, but only if we truly bring the current year to a close. If you don’t let go of anything, if you don’t resolve the physical and emotional “incompletes” in your life, January 1 will look remarkably like December 31, with the possible minor difference of needing to clean up after the party.

This is a great time of year to put into practice what I observed in my last post: the only way to finish is to get started and the only way to get started is to finish. These questions might give you hints about how to bring 2010 to a close.

What difficult conversations have you dreaded and therefore avoided?

What do you need to clean, clear out, organize, toss or give away?

What old beliefs and behaviors no longer serve the person you want to be?

What physical objects are out of place in your writing space, your home, your car? What digital “things” are out of place in your computer, smart phone, iPod, iPad, etc? What objects and digital files don’t have a place to be in?

What do you need to fully celebrate? What do you need to fully grieve? 

Every year about this time, my coaching clients and I review their wins and losses, breakthroughs and breakdowns and what they learned about themselves in the previous year. This Year End Review gives us a ritual to acknowledge, surrender and bring closure to those events and experiences. Letting go of last year’s wins and losses creates space for new wins and losses in the coming year; letting go of last year’s breakthroughs and breakdowns creates space for new breakthroughs and breakdowns. What we learn about ourselves stays with us – there’s always room for more learning.

What do you want to do to bring 2010 to a close so you can start 2011 with joy, anticipation, energy and commitment?