Looking Back on The New Year
What if you could travel in time? A new year is the perfect opportunity to think about time. It’s the moment when we mark the end of one phase of life and the beginning of a new one. But this year let’s try stepping into an imaginary time machine. It’s new year’s eve 2020, you’re looking back on 2019. What do you see? What would you tell yourself in January 2019 that you know now, here in December 2019?
Picture yourself there, standing on the edge of a new decade, the 2020’s. What do you want for yourself going into the next decade? What do you wish you’d done to prepare yourself for this transition? Do you have any regrets? Any missed opportunities? People you wish you’d told how you feel about them? Things you wish you’d done or didn’t do?
Now take a step back into our imaginary time machine. You’re back. You’re here in January 2019. The year stretches before you, from now to that moment at the end of the year and the beginning of the next decade. You have the opportunity right now to prepare yourself for that moment, to align your will with the reality you want to create for yourself at the end of the year.
Instead of looking at the new year as a moment to make resolutions and start on a path from which we mustn’t stray, try assessing who you want to be at the END of the year. Then decide what you have to do to make that person a reality.
Set Your Goals Backwards
Once you decide what your goals are, it can be helpful to view them in retrospect. Think of where you are now. Most likely there are some things you’ve accomplished in life. How did you get there? How did you achieve the things you have now that you once only dreamed of? Think of the things you like about yourself. How did you cultivate those attributes?
Now imagine yourself there at the end of the year in December 2019. What do you need to do to become that person at the end of the year that you’re proud of? What do you need to let go of at the start of this year? What do you need to bring in, to cultivate?
Instead of viewing resolutions and goal setting as a linear forward developing process, it can be helpful to set your goals backwards and work from the end to get a better handle on the beginning.
Start From The End
Maybe you’ve made resolutions every year. How often do you keep them? How many do you make and how many do you keep? It can be helpful to revisit your resolutions and goals throughout the year. Also keep in mind it’s okay to add goals and resolutions as you go. One helpful tactic can be keeping your focus on the end goal. Focus on that person you want to be at the end of the year. What does it take to get there? This can keep you from beating yourself up over little failures that are bound to happen on the way to your end goal.
For instance, instead of resolving “I’m going to go to the gym three times a week every week in 2019,” resolve “I’m going to be a healthier person at the end of the year.” This way you can get to the gym, eat better etc., but if you make it to the gym only twice one week you haven’t broken your resolution. By setting goals backwards – with a focus on result rather than perfection in the process – you only fail if you stop striving. The route to success isn’t a straight line, it’s a wibbly-wobbly windy fall down seven times get up eight times kind of a thing.
This year start from the end, and don’t be afraid to stumble along the way. The story of how you get there is up to you.
