6 Things to Reflect on to Ensure a Wonderful New Year

Jaceybonavia/ Lifestyle

We must reflect on the past year as we transition into the new year. This guide will help us learn from our successes and “failures” so that we may make informed plans and goals for the new year. At the same time, we need to be mindful not to ruminate on negative experiences.

As I reflect on my past year, I will consider my values, relationships, responsibilities, achievements, reading list, and disappointments. Simultaneously, I will evaluate whether my experience aligned with my word of the year–intention. 

You can do this, too!

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1. Reflect on Values

My guiding values are family and nature. 

The creator of Wild Sustainability with her husband, Kyle, and one of their dogs, Juniper, going for a walk in a forest.

Family

See “Reflect on Relationships” below.

Nature

I aligned with my value of nature throughout the year. For example, I thought about and tried to mitigate the potential environmental consequences of my wedding.

I also planted a large vegetable garden in my backyard to try to grow food for my husband and me to reduce the impact of food being shipped across the world. We even planted a Paw Paw tree in hopes of growing our own native fruit. We did not use any pesticides, and we used compost rather than synthetic fertilizer. Likewise, we have started to grow a pollinator garden in our front yard by planting various native flowers, including red columbine, New England asters, wild bergamot, blue false indigo, purple coneflowers, and Liatris, among others. I hope this new garden will support our local biodiversity.

As you reflect on your year, consider your top one to three values and whether you lived in alignment with them. For example, if your highest value is health, did you participate in joyful movements? Did you nourish your body? Did you rest? Did you receive mental health support? 

Perhaps adventure is your top value. If so, did you travel to an unfamiliar destination? Did you climb, hike, water ski, or bungee jump?

Authenticity? Did you take off your mask and show your true self? 

Financial stability? Did you add to your savings or retirement account? Did you make progress in paying off your debts?

2. Reflect on Relationships

Relationships are an essential component of a life well-lived.

Two little girls jumping on a trampoline.

Because family is a top value for me, relationships with my family members are critical. I had goals related to time spent with my parents and my nieces. I didn’t meet the time goals but did prioritize these relationships. For example, my mom and I took two nieces to a trampoline park. It was so fulfilling to see the joy on their faces. 

Another goal was to meet my youngest nephew; due to COVID, we had not hung out in person yet. I FaceTimed with my nephews throughout the year, which was a treat! By the end of the year, I got to play with them three times–at my bridal shower, at my wedding, and during the holidays. Now they both want to embrace me and tell me they love me before I leave, and it makes my heart sing. I have the sweetest six nieces and nephews.

Another massive goal this year was to get married to my partner. See the “Achievements” section below for more on this.

Unfortunately, this year, I also had to grieve the premature deaths of two people who were incredibly important to my childhood — a childhood friend, Eric, and my father’s cousin, Chuck. I will always cherish my early memories of them.

Did you intentionally prioritize your relationships in 2022?

3. Reflect on Responsibilities

Work

At work, I got a promotion and now have someone who reports to me. I am still learning the ropes for this new role.

Do you have a traditional job? Reflect on the past year in your work role. Did you make progress toward your goals? 

House

Two dogs laying in grass with a fence behind them.

We had goals of two significant projects for our new house this year — to get new windows and a new fence. Unfortunately, fraudulent criminals ran the window company (from which the previous homeowners ordered windows in June 2021, so they could sell the house). Despite having all of the windows paid in full, they did not install them in 2021 or even in 2022. We will have windows installed by a different company in 2023.

This year, we hired a company to install a fence around our new backyard. This was an expensive investment, but it was certainly worth it. It has been life-changing. Now we can let our dogs outside off leash to run and be happy.

Side Projects

Wild Sustainability

This Wild Sustainability website (and my associated Instagram account) remained important to me throughout the year. Unfortunately, I felt the need to prioritize other roles in 2022, but I hope to do so much more here again in 2023.

Other Blogs – Body Compassion Blog and a New Blog

Similarly, my Body Compassion blog website remained stagnant. 

For some reason, I started another website, but I still have not set that website to be live. 

Side Hustles – Simple Sustainable Organizing and EcoArt

I worked hard on my sustainable organizing side hustle in the year’s first half. Unfortunately, I did not feel like I had the time to advertise it appropriately, so I had few inquiries from leads and only served one non-family client. 

Eco Art logo burned into a piece of wood. It shows three trees.

While working on that project, I realized that organizing a stranger was more draining and less fulfilling than I had hoped. During the summer, I decided to release my goals in this business, and I officially closed the LLC. This was a learning opportunity, not a business failure. 

With my mind less occupied with the organizing business, I had the opportunity to flex my artistic muscles. Arts and crafts are incredibly relaxing for me. Right now, I am prioritizing pyrography (aka woodburning). I decided to open a shop called EcoArt on Etsy to support my hobby.

What responsibilities or hobbies did you focus on during 2022?

4. Reflect on Achievements

My biggest achievement this year was finishing all of the planning and preparation for my wedding in early September. It was a success!

Most importantly, my love married me! Secondly, we were surrounded by a very small group of our closest family and friends. Thirdly, it was not a COVID-spreader event. And, most relevantly, we considered our environmental impact on every decision we made for the wedding. (You will be able to read more about that, soon.)

What did you accomplish this year for which you feel proud, fulfilled, or productive?

5. Reflect on Reading

I had a goal to read 24 books this year. I failed that goal ridiculously, but I am giving myself grace. I prioritized doing things most aligned with my values and would have needed more energy to meet this goal. I did read ten books:

If you like this website, you likely will enjoy Hope is a Verb, Mini Farming, Gaia’s Garden, the Heartbeat of Trees, and (if you like fiction) The Overstory. I recommend them all, but I preferred Gaia’s Garden over Mini Farming.

6. Reflect on Disappointments

As I mentioned earlier, I am disappointed that we still do not have functioning windows. 

My biggest disappointment this year was my honeymoon. I have been dreaming of traveling to the Canadian Rockies since I was a little girl. I was so grateful that we were able to get plane tickets and accommodations near Banff National Park. I got hiking books, and I started making plans for our adventures as newlyweds. I was looking forward to it so much. Honestly, it helped me get through the stressful process of wedding-planning. The morning we were supposed to leave, my brand-new husband could not locate the card documenting his COVID-19 vaccinations. Without this card, we could not travel to Canada. We lost all the airfare and the payment for the house we rented.

We made last-minute plans to go “Up North” in Wisconsin. We didn’t get to hike enough for me, and we both got COVID-19 (for the first time) on our trip. I’m crossing my fingers that we will eventually experience my dream trip to the Canadian Rockies.

Did you experience any significant disappointments? How will that affect your plans for next year?

Concluding Reflections

This year was filled with love, stress, and heartache, reminding me I am alive. Stress indicates that I cared deeply; heartache demonstrates that, as a child, I had deep, meaningful relationships that I cherished. For that, I am grateful.

Now, I am making goals for 2023. Some of them are renewing goals from this past year, and some are new! Throughout the year, I will be guided by my word for 2023–acceptance, and I will continue to try to live in accordance with my prior words: compassion, full, regenerate, and intention.

How will you use your reflection to help guide your intentions for next year?

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