Welcome to 2018! The New Year is traditionally the time for looking back over the year that has passed and for setting goals for the year ahead.

2017 was quite possibly my hardest year so far. My mental health got the better of me and I had some very dark months. But, after a period of rest and recovery, I’m a very different person than the one I was this time last year. If you haven’t yet reflected upon last year and set targets for the year ahead I invite you to join me in a series of blog posts that I’ll publish each Friday during January so that you can join me on the journey. You may want to make notes in a journal as you go along.

This week I’m thinking about the year that has passed and the way it has shaped and changed you.

Step 1: What went well in 2017?

Think about the positives for the year. You could look back through your old planner/ journal and list the highlights of each month or you may wish to think about the different areas of your life; such as family and friends, career, health and wellbeing, personal development. Think about what you have accomplished in each area. How did you feel when things were going well? Did you celebrate these occasions?

Step 2: What didn’t go so well?

Using the same headings as above, think about what didn’t go as well as you expected. Was the reason for this inside or outside of your control? How did you feel when things were not going so well? Did you make changes?

Step 3: How did you spend your time?

Using your planner, look at how you spent your time. When were you most happy? What were you doing? When were things going badly? How were you spending your time at those points? Were you able to control how you spent your time? How much time did you spend alone or on yourself?

Step 4: What’s important to you?

Look back over your responses to the questions above. Look for patterns in your answers to discover what’s really important to you, this may surprise you! Using the categories listed below, identify what you would want to list as accomplishments in each area at the end of 2018. Think about how each area makes you feel when you think about it now and consider how you want to feel about each one by the end of the coming year.

a) Body and Wellness

b) Livelihood and Lifestyle

c) Creativity and Learning

d) Relationships

e) Spirituality

Step 5: Prioritising

Over the course of the next week, keep coming back to this list and adding or changing your accomplishments wish list. You will naturally prioritise as you go through this process.

Good luck in your process of reviewing 2017 and thinking about the areas that are important to you in 2018. See you next Friday when we’ll think about what success will look like in each area.

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