December tends to be crammed full of activity, and it can be easy to slide into the new year with little reflection about the past 12 months. Worse yet, we might ruminate on all the bad memories of the year and miss the joy of reliving the positive moments.
As we end each year, Karen Weideman always asks the Humanergy team to list their top five. Each person reflects on what has made the year great, and Karen compiles them for our review at the holiday party. Often we trigger recollections for each other, as each of us brings our own perspectives on what was fabulous.
I love what the blog Thirty Thousand Days has to say about looking back on the year:
“But in moving from one year to the next, I suggest you pause. Pause to celebrate. Pause to reflect. Pause to take inventory. And pause to see what you can learn from this past year. Self-reflection is a powerful process. It’s strongly encouraged by many of the world’s great religious traditions and by some of the wisest of our ancestors ranging from Albert Schweitzer to Ben Franklin.”
Dwelling on the positives at work lowers stress and improves mood. It’s not too late to step back and take stock of 2015. What are you especially proud of? What do you want to carry forward into 2016?
Tell us about your favorite 2015 memories. Comment below or send us a message.
Photo from Joe St.Pierre on Flickr.