What kind of person were you this year?
It may seem like an odd question, but I think it’s one that deserves our honest thought and reflection.
You see…
We all have ideals in mind for the kind of person we want to be. If I were to ask you to list a series of attributes to describe this “ideal version” of you, you’d probably be able to rattle off a handful pretty quickly.
For example, I aspire to be a person who is:
- Dependable: someone others can rely on.
- Joyful: choosing to find the “good” in every day.
- Focused: present to the tasks or people immediately in front of me.
- Peaceful: able to weather the stormy days without totally losing my cool.
- Consistent: steadfast in my commitments (work, family, personal, etc.)
What kind of person do YOU aspire to be? What attributes or characteristics do you hope to embody? Where did these ideals come from? (I.e WHOSE ideals are you trying to live up to?)
(If you haven’t considered this before, I’d highly recommend you PAUSE reading this blog post and spending some time journaling and reflecting. If you have many characteristics that come to mind, I’d recommend trying to narrow your list to a top 3-5.)
Alright friend, let’s return to the original question!
As you look back on 2022…What kind of person were you this year?
Were you the kind of person you’d hoped to be? As you consider your list of ideal personal attributes, honestly ask yourself: “Did I live up to my ideals this year?”
For the “black and white” thinkers among us, a word of caution:
Nobody hits the “ideal” 100% of the time.
You may aspire to be hardworking, and still have a handful of “lazy” days sprinkled throughout your year. You may strive to be dependable and still have moments when canceling plans last minute or finishing a project late was your only option given your other commitments.
That’s okay!
We’re not going for perfection here. Let’s face it…that’s impossible. Instead, look for general tendencies and patterns.
Here are some questions to jumpstart your reflection:
- How did you show up in your life/work/relationships etc. MOST of the time?
- Which of your ideal personal attributes did you live out?
- What habits, relationships, or supports helped you embody this characteristic?
- Were there any areas where you consistently fell short of the ideal goal you set for yourself?
- Why? What made this difficult?
As you look ahead to the new year, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Our habits, relationships, and environment all have an impact on our ability to remain committed to our goals. Are there any specific lifestyle changes you need to better equip yourself to be the kind of person you want to be?
- Be open to change. You might need to let some people, commitments, habits, etc. go in order to live more fully into your ideals. Release the things that don’t serve you.
- You may need to forgive yourself and others in order to release unhelpful thoughts, habits, or behaviors. If this last year didn’t go as you’d hoped (for whatever reason) – please know, it’s okay! We’ve ALL had years like that.
Take some time this week to reflect. Grab a journal and a pen and give yourself the space to sit with these questions. If you have any particular insights or reflections you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them!
Drop a comment below and let me know:
- What is ONE attribute or ideal you’re going to (re)prioritize next year?
- What is ONE tangible step you can take to prioritize this ideal?
Article was contributed by: Maria Lees, Team Writer with Sarah Boxx
