by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie
As we move through the month of December and begin to wrap up 2022, now is a great time to take a moment to pause and reflect on the year that was. It’s something we can easily skip over in the busyness that typically descends on us this time of year, but I encourage you to create some space for yourself to reflect on what went well, what you achieved, what you want to celebrate, and what you want to release before you begin 2023.
This is about acknowledging where you’ve been, taking the best of what you’ve learned, and letting go of what no longer serves you.
In taking the time to reflect and journal about your experiences, you can begin to override your inbuilt negativity bias and recency bias, giving you a more balanced perspective of your year.
Negativity bias is the way your brain is hardwired to latch onto negative information much more than positive information. Whilst this was necessary for our survival as a species because it allowed us to scan the world for negativity and be hyper aware of any danger or threats to our life, it’s not so helpful in modern times when it means we’re overly focused on negative feedback, criticism, mistakes and all of the things we didn’t get around to doing.
When you add Recency Bias to that mix, which has us remembering the past month or two much better than the year as a whole, it can mean that we lose sight of everything we’ve achieved and all of the wins we’ve had along the way.
So put aside some time for yourself, take out a pen and paper, and reflect on the following questions:
Write down as many professional accomplishments and achievements you can think of, large and small, that made 2022 the year it was. Remember to go all the way back to January and think about each month.
Write down as many personal accomplishments and achievements you can think of, large and small, that made 2022 the year it was.
How will you acknowledge and celebrate all that you’ve achieved?
What were the 3 best things that happened? Next to each, write why it was so great.
What did you learn about yourself in 2022?
What do you need to let go of from 2022 that no longer serves you?
Describe 2022 in 4 words.
Write down any other reflections you have about 2022 that you want to get on paper, acknowledge and release.
It’s so important to give yourself the gift of acknowledging and celebrating what went well for you this year and all of the things (big and small) that you achieved. And it doesn’t just have to be something you do only at the end of the year. We need to get better at celebrating the little wins along the way, before rushing ahead to the next thing on our list.
Doing this also allows us to repurpose the challenges into gifts, benefits and wisdom that we take with us into the new year.
Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie is a life coach, based in South Africa. She helps high achieving, ambitious women to create impactful careers without sacrificing their well-being, themselves, their relationships, and quality of life. She helps women to beat burnout and to thrive. Having worked in the corporate world for 20 years, most of these in complex leadership roles whilst raising two children, she understands the demands being juggled by professional women, both in their professional and personal lives. Today, she wants to share those learnings with other women through her personal coaching and training.
More articles by Safiyyah
