End of the year is a good time to reflect on the past season

Here we are: the last Friday of the year.

Quite some time ago, I wrote a column about a Year in Review.” It was sparked by a theater article I read that highlighted the best (and worst) productions of the last theatrical season. In theater, the year ends around the same time the school year ends — right before summer. But for a personal Year in Review, now seems like a good time to reflect on the last “season” of our lives.

What were our best moments? When were we at our lowest? How much of these highs and lows were in our own control, and when they weren’t brought about by us, how did we react?

If you haven’t taken the time yet this week to reflect (and with the hectic holiday season, it’s a wonder if you have), try today to find a few minutes — even on a car ride or while walking the dog — to pore over 2016 in your memory and glean what you can. It will bring joy, revelation, and probably a bit of pain and disappointment, but it will also prime you for establishing a clear vision for 2017.

I’ve also written a column about vision boards in the past. Vision boards are literally cork or cardboards, or even large poster boards, on which you place visual cues that help to remind you of your focus and goals. This visual cues might be photos of yourself or your family, words or quotes from books or religious texts, or items from meaningful events you have attended in the past or maybe ones you are eager to attend in the future. Vision board can be useful to make at many points during the year. Perhaps you are making a big lifestyle change and need some mental support. A vision board that helps you see the positive feelings and outcomes of pursuing your lifestyle change can make it easier to get through the tough spots on a day to day basis.

At the beginning of a calendar year, when resolutions are at the forefront of our minds, a vision board can reinforce the principles, goals, and vision that we have for ourselves in 2017. I am hoping to host a vision board party next week if I can get organized in time. I’ve made a vision board for myself before, but the idea of doing so in the company of close friends attracts me. That way, I can articulate my goals to people that care about me and they can do the same with me. We can lovingly hold each other accountable as the months of 2017 fly by.

What is your review of 2016? How have you lived and what have you learned? What is your vision for the new year? Who can you share that with? How can you support that vision? Consider making yourself a vision board this weekend — maybe you can make a shared board with your family or partner. However you spend this last weekend of the year, I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017!

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 3:23 PM with the headline "End of the year is a good time to reflect on the past season."