New Year - looking back to see the Future

Well here we are in 2018, and how many of you have made resolutions? And how many of you have actually kept them? Or are they distant memories, like the decorations packed away until next year, and you’re left wondering why nothing really changes?

One reason I’ve found is that we’re so busy wanting the new that we haven’t yet let go of the old, and often our resolutions are on the surface level chasing quick solutions to long term issues which are unlikely to last.

Instead of rushing to get new year resolutions out on January 1st, it may be better to actually take a bit of time to reflect on the last year instead - what went well, what didn’t go so well and what we can learn from that.

An excellent way to of reflecting on the past year is to  keep a journal for the coming year for this purpose. Unlike a diary that’s often full of mundane stuff, or just appointments, this should be about your feelings, hopes and aspirations. You could be creative and even draw in it too. Then have a look back over this the first week of January (or even the whole first month - there are no set rules here).

This then provides more of a space to really think of what you want from the coming year, rather than looking for a quick fix to repair the Christmas excess, when gym memberships are high on many people’s agenda (and often not used from February onwards)!

This is where Life Coaching can help you discover what you really want from not just the coming year, but also what’s important in your life as a whole; rather than resolutions which may be forgotten or abandoned by the end of the month. Empowering you with tools to help build confidence and resilience, a life coach can inspire you to be ‘your best you’ rather than comparing yourself to anyone else. This can then really help to forge lasting changes and keep you on track when you hit a bump on the road.

Wishing you all the best for 2018.