As the year draws to an end, it is meaningful to allocate some time to reflect on the events of the year.

This is not in an effort to throw yourself a ‘pity-party’ but rather to assess the areas you may have fallen short and devise an alternative way in achieving your goals, improving yourself and simply being the best version of yourself in the upcoming year.

There are benefits to be derived from the process. These include:

1. It Allows You to See How Far you have come.

Sometimes it can be difficult for you to see how far you’ve come, especially if you tend to compare yourself to others. It is definitely a process, learning how to avoid comparing yourself to people around you. However, reflecting on your past gives you the space and time to see just how far you’ve come in life.

A lot can change in a year (or longer). The little things you’re doing day in and day out may not seem like much when you’re actually doing them, but if you step back and look at them with the big picture in mind, you will be able to identify your progress.

2. It Allows You to Shift Your Perspective.

When you’re dealing with difficulties, particularly at a young age, it’s difficult to see the positives in your situation. You may think that your experiences singled you out as abnormal. As a child, it’s difficult to shift your perspective, but luckily that ability comes with age.

I’d be lying if I told you that I’m thrilled about everything that happened to me throughout my childhood years, but I’d also be lying if I told you that I haven’t gained some perspective in the decades since.

The thing is this, even if it has taken you more time than a lot of people around you to achieve your goals in relation to your career; the length of time may have also allowed you fully learn what worked for you and what didn’t in the process.

Reflecting on your past provides you with an idea of just how much you have overcome and therefore shift your perspective as a result. Maintaining a new perspective takes conscious effort, but directing your energy in a direction which is positive, is far more productive than working yourself into a bad place.

3. It Allows You to Reassess What You Liked and Didn’t Like about Your Career/Lifestyle/Relationship.

Taking my time has also allowed me to come to decisions by myself and begin to live life on my own terms rather than doing something just because everyone else around me is doing it.

Everyone has their own individual ways of motivating themselves that work for them. Over the years, I’ve learned that reflecting on your past can be difficult
for some, but by the same token, it can also provide a major source of motivation and be a very useful tool.

Everyone can use their respective pasts as a way to learn and create a better future and move forward.