Looking Back, Looking Forward

The start of a new year on the horizon always provides an opportunity to slow down and reflect on the adventure you’ve been on for the last twelve months. 2018 was filled with beauty and challenges, heartache and hope.

Here at Alchemy+Aim, we’re taking some quiet time this holiday to be with family and dream up what’s possible in 2019. And while I’m a writer, I don’t love grand end-of-year journal prompts, so I suggest you consider these three questions:

1. What do I want to celebrate about 2018? What were your wins and successes? What brought you joy and made you laugh? Look for the little things and the unexpected.
2. If each month in 2018 brought a lesson for me, what would it be? What stands out in your memory? What problem did you struggle with? What solution did you find? What idea lit you up?
3. How can I step into my true self more fully in 2019? What do I need to stop doing, delegate, keep doing, or start doing? (This Start-Stop-Keep-Delegate list is one of my favorite exercises.)

A few other gems:

• If you like word of the year exercises, try this one from Christine Kane.
• If you’re more visual, you may want to create a vision board.
• Learn more about Start-Stop-Keep lists on Forbes.com. (I always add Delegate, because sometimes you need to keep doing something as a company but stop doing it yourself.)

Take some time to be. Explore without any expectations. Feed whatever sparks your creativity.