December is the perfect time for reflection, especially as we end the decade.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned this past year it’s that frequent reflection is crucial for growth and forward movement.
We must make time to look at our progress, celebrate our accomplishments, review what we’ve learned, figure out how to best apply it, while at the same time being comfortable with looking at the past, and how we’ve struggled so we can understand how we overcame, know what habits to kick to the curb, and look ahead to a bright future.
3 Tips for Reflecting on Your Past Year
As you reflect, whether it’s on a specific event, or the entire year, here are a few guidelines to ensure you don’t get too hard on yourself and you actually learn and grow through the process. Let’s get busy…
- Look back with a positive attitude and a lot of grace. Focus on the goals that you accomplished, the ones you set out to do, and even the ones you surprised yourself with. Then, look at the areas where you didn’t quite hit the mark. Here’s where the grace comes in. Remember you’re human and things change. So ask yourself. Why didn’t I reach these goals? Are these goals still important to me? If they are, make a plan to tackle them again with your new knowledge and experience from this year.
- Review your calendar to make sure you spend your time wisely. If you’re like me you might add photos, doodle and write notes about every little thing you do. Here, examine how you spent your time. Did you spend enough time in the areas that are important to you? Are there events or activities you can add or remove that will make life more enjoyable?
- Review your return on investment. After celebrating your accomplishments and reflecting on where you spent your time. Ask yourself, “Did I grow? Did I embrace the challenges? What did I learn? Where can I improve next year? Did the books I read, the activities I participated in the people I hung around…did they make me a better person? Better yet, did I help make others better by the way I lived my life.
Don’t start planning without reflecting on the past year. You owe it to yourself to examine your life and ask the hard questions. Keep searching, keep moving forward and keep growing.
My Personal Reflection
As I write this I want to share some of my own reflections over the past decade. Indulge me if you will.
Becoming Mom
The most important life altering moment for me in this decade was January 2010 when I became a mom to my beautiful daughter for the first time, and then again in August 2013 when I had my handsome son. It took me a while to realize that all of this happened over the last 10 years. It really put things into perspective for me.
Becoming a mom has been the most rewarding and most challenging role I’ve been blessed with. It’s pushed me to greater lengths and to be honest has opened so many doors for me professionally as I got creative trying to figure out how to me mom and be me. Later realizing, it’s all the same.
I learn something new from my kids about love, life and myself daily.
Being Wifey
This year, my husband and I celebrated 13 years together and have been working at our relationship for as long as we’ve known each other, 19 years! Over the last two years we’ve intentionally invested in our marriage by attending conferences, workshops, and doing our best to date and communicate our needs, especially now that we’re older and things change.
My relationship with my husband is one that tests me everyday. It’s true, the ones you love, hurt you the most because you hold them so dear to your heart. I’m very blessed to have a husband who loves me and is willing to listen and accept me despite my faults.
Be-lieving
My faith has always been my saving grace. And after losing both of my grandma’s, both who instilled that faith in me, I’ve held onto it so much more. Yearning for more, not wanting to miss a thing. I’ve been able to find peace, forgiveness, and a way to remain centered in life no matter what I’m going through. Letting go, and trusting God, the process and myself has been a recurring theme.
Being Me
I am so proud of myself. The last three years I invested in myself. I took risks and I feel more like me every day. I went through several intense coaching programs, which all added and uncovered another layer in my life as a woman, a mom, daughter, sister, a wife, a friend, a lover, as me. I can’t express how important it is to have someone in your corner whether it’s a coach, a group, a therapist, a program, take the first step to take care of you. It looks different for all of us.
Taking steps to discover myself and accept me for who I was, am and becoming has been the best thing I’ve been able to do for me.
Other stuff
Along with all that, I managed to create a few blogs, produce massive events for moms, build a strong community in my own backyard – shout out to my Mira Mesa Moms and Mira Mesa Mompreneurs, become an aunt, evolve my business to what it is today, start my fitness journey with Hardcore Fitness, go on almost 30 hikes, made a ton of real friends, read a lot of good books, and so much more! I can go on, but I’ll end here.
Your Turn
I truly want to know what you accomplished this decade, or even the past year. What are some of the things you are truly proud of? Share them in the comments below.
Angela Quisumbing is a multi passionate mompreneur. She is the CEO + Event Strategist for Angela Grace Events where every day and everyone is a reason to celebrate. She is also the host of the Facebook live show, Angela Grace Celebrates Live where she features tips, industry experts, and tools to help you plan and promote a successful and memorable event. She’s also an aspiring speaker and a self-proclaimed advocate for lifelong learning.