Holidays and especially the new year are times for rituals of introspection and reflection. It helps to write it out and talk it out. I think we can all agree that 2020 did a number on us, and we need these rituals more than ever. The exercises below are both inspired by a coaching friend.
The high five list is your year-in-review list. Instead of (or in addition to) resolutions for change the new year, catalog your current awesomeness! What went well in the past year? What deserves a high five? Take 10 minutes and see if you can come up with 10 things to add to your 2020 High Five List.
I feel pretty strongly that if ever there was a time to lower the bar, it’s 2020. If you kept a decent stock of toilet paper on hand, give yourself a high five for that. Learned to navigate grocery store pick up? High five, my friend! Did you make masks? High five! Become a champion hand washer? High five!
The letter to yourself is a tradition that I learned about last year. You write a letter to yourself and tuck it in with your holiday decorations to be opened in a year. I wrote my letter in early January before all hell broke loose and completely forgot about it until I unpacked the holiday decorations a few weeks ago. I thought the letter would be one long, sad joke given the dumpster fire of a year that we’ve had, but I was pleasantly surprised at the many things I did and learned. It was a reminder of the power of hope. The aspirations and goals I set for myself in 2020 weren’t all for naught. Finding that letter was definitely a highlight of the holiday season.