3 Things You Need To Do Before Starting The New Year

Normally, before I start a new year, I do a lot of introspection. I think about the past and the things that I want to improve on. Strangely, though, I haven't been too focused on things like that.

I don't know why.

Maybe it's because I have been in so much motion lately with the school district and actively training to become a teacher. Or maybe it's because I just don't want to dwell on my past mistakes any longer. Or it could be the fact that I have been battling a cold.

I would like to think that I am not avoiding my moment of introspection, but instead I am still trying to do what I said I was going to do from my last moment of introspection. I think I will know when I need to have my next "Come to Jesus" meeting.

Anyway, with this amazing year coming to an end, I suppose I will write about some things that I would do to prepare for the next one.

Self - Reflection

First, we need to sit with ourselves. Our true, authentic selves. No matter how dark or ugly it can get. It is best if we can look at ourselves either mentally or physically and truly figure out who we are.

As we get older and experience more things in life, we get altered in the slightest of ways. The person we were 5 years ago, or even 5 months ago, is not the person we are today.

Understanding yourself by recognizing your growth, accepting your past, and embracing who you are is a crucial prerequisite to advancing forward when starting a new year.

Vision Board

The next thing I would do is create a vision board. Last year I made a digital one and it became my wallpaper for all of my devices for some time.

Creating a vision board helped me because it gave me my pillars. I will call them The Pillars of Importance.

I had a picture that represented my spiritual growth. I had a picture that represented my workout journey and goals. I even had a picture for the distant future like a house that I could see myself living in. That picture also represented stability.

Having a vision board to look at constantly reminded me of what I wanted to achieve in my life. It gave me a sense of drive.

Plan

The last thing is to get a planner or calendar that will help you to manage your life events. You all know how much I love calendars!

I truly think that writing down your events and upcoming plans will help you to better prepare and even remember them. Life can get so hectic sometimes and a few things can slip from your memory if you don't write it down.

Having a calendar has become such a vital part of my everyday life. I wouldn't say that I plan out every second of my day, but if I start to realize that I will have a busy day coming up, that calendar is being used.

You don't need to be a super productive over-thinking to utilize a planner or calendar.

I hope those three things are enough to get you started on preparing for 2024. I know that I will be using this weekend to write down a few things that I want to see happen as I begin my teaching career.

I suppose we all have a little planning and preparation to do.

Until the next post.

Jefferson K. Coe