The 2023 Epilogue
The Peek Perspective on Year End Reflections
Well, here we are.
It’s the final week of the year. It’s the calm between the festive storm of the holidays and the dawn of a brand new year stretched out before us. It’s the week when you consistently have no idea what day it is. It’s the epilogue, the final story to the Tale of 2023.
As you look back over 2023, what story are you telling yourself?
Is it one of regret for all the things you didn’t accomplish this year, the broken promises to yourself, or the disappointments in unrealized expectations?
Is it one of pressure to “end well,” to finish out the year as your “best self?”
Or is it one of relief? Gratitude for another year of surviving, and maybe even thriving?
Are you proud of the ways you’ve persevered, loved, and lived in 2023?
As a firm believer in a both/and approach, I believe you can be BOTH grateful/satisfied/happy over your year of 2023 AND feel regret/disappointment/frustration for the way things have gone.
Allow me to provide a quick prompt for your hypothetical reflection and epilogue to this story of 2023. Grab a scrap of leftover wrapping paper and pen or pull up your phone notes and jot down the first things that come to mind using 3 simple questions below. I’ll be spending time working through them myself too. (Simple doesn’t mean easy, and your responses may be complicated. That’s ok.)
This year, the things (people/places/routines) that brought the most joy in my life were…
In 2023, I wish I would have spent more time on…
In 2023, I wish I would have done less of…
That’s it.
Sure, you can find all kinds of much more detailed year-end reflections, and I’m not your life coach or therapist over here. But, I truly believe that by simply getting curious - about the things that brought us the most joy and the things we wish we would’ve focused more or less on - are clear indicators that help us set the tone for a new year.
We don’t have to sit in disappointment or shame or guilt over the things that didn’t meet our expectations this year. And we truly can’t solve the world’s vast problems single-handedly. But starting by examining ourselves and being honest about the things that we want to change in 2024 is a healthy approach to a fresh start.
As for the things and people and places that brought us joy this year…Let’s do more of that in 2024, shall we?
Cheers to the BOTH/AND of reflecting on 2023,
Leigh
Photo: One of my favorite “reflections” ever. Thailand 2017, my then-3 year old in complete awe and wonder. Standing in the calm waters, intrigued by the rushing falls before her.