The Yearend is a great time to add a deliberate pause - to take ourselves away from auto-pilot and build conscious habits and actions.
We run through the year without taking a moment to assess where we are, what we do and why we do it.
A deliberate pause can help us reflect and align our life to our larger intent/purpose.
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First by reflection, which is the noblest.
Second by imitation, which is the easiest.
Third by experience, which is the bitterest.
~Confiscus
Most people take a pause but forget to use it effectively. What can work as a useful deliberate pause?
Asking oneself the below questions may be a good starting point.
What do I cherish in my timeline?
A great point to start a reflection is to asses what went well for you in the last year.
Due to a prevalent negativity bias, most of us do not take time to take stock of what went well.
This would help us to understand what we can be grateful about the past deadline.
Gratefulness is a wonderful emotion to experience for our mental well being.
2. What needs healing?
We may have not been our best self in certain circumstances, amidst particular triggers in the past year.
That would give us an idea of what needs healing in ourselves to become better and ready for the future.
It also gives us potential blind spots to pay attention to.
More on the 3 knots/ "granthis" that holds us back - is here.
3. What needs courage?
Sometimes the future beckons a new you.
That may need a change of identity. That would in turn need courage.
What is life asking you to be more of?
What are you willing to do about it?
What turns up as you reflect on the year going by?