Five Positive Ways to End the Year

The end of a delicious feast is often marked by coffee, an after dinner drink, and a sweet dessert. Dessert time not only provides perfect closure to a memorable meal, but also assists digestion, aids assimilation, and creates space for good conversation.

End of the year reflection is like the “dessert” of the year. It is a perfect opportunity to assess significant accomplishments, provide closure to the previous year, and to prepare the ground for a new year ahead. It’s also an important time to tie up loose ends, let go of things that no longer work, and sweep out old energies. This year, instead of just letting the final days of the year slip on by, treat yourself to “dessert” to digest what you have learned, and feel the satisfaction of accomplishment and closure.

Here are five ways to positively end the year:

1. Clean Up
Take these last few days of the year to bring harmony and balance in your living and working environment. Walk around your personal spaces and sense what’s working and what’s not. Open the drawers, step in the garage, look into all the nooks, crannies, and dark spaces. Intuitively, you know what’s calling to you. Follow that urge and straighten the liquor cabinet, organize the garage, or vacuum the pet hair from the under the bed. Cleaning up can be a great way to remove old energies and allow new positive flow. Take the next few days to put in order, sort out, clean, or rearrange your space. Then breathe, relax, and revel in the new harmony!

2. Let Go!
The end of the year is a great time to let go of anything you no longer need or want. What may have felt near and dear to you last year may no longer hold the same feeling now. Go through your “stuff” and throw out, give away, or donate clothes, furniture, kitchen gadgets, knick-knacks, or anything else that no longer fits your personality. Just because Aunt Betty once gave you that ceramic dog figurine for Christmas in 1987, doesn’t mean that you have to keep it around forever. Let go of what no longer feels energizing or uplifting.

3. Manage Out of Control Email
Feeling buried in your inbox? It’s not uncommon to start the day by opening email, checking the 40-plus new messages, and feeling the burden of the ones that haven’t been yet answered from earlier in the week (month or year!). In addition there’s the weightiness of hundreds of emails saved in various folders. Take the next few days and get a handle on your overflowing email. Answer any pertinent pending emails, delete everything you don’t have to read, and unsubscribe from newsletters that may no longer provide value to your day. Take back control by deciding how much time and energy you’re willing to give to email.

4. Take Long Walks
Over the next several days give yourself some quality alone time by taking long walks. During those outings practice conscious deep breathing. Breathing helps dislodge old stuck energies and emotions. In addition, breathing relieves stress. As you begin to relax, be nourished by nature. Feel the wind on your checks, listen to the birds signing, and breathe in the scents of the season. Breathing, relaxation, nature, and quality alone time provide an opportune time to daydream about fun times, revel in giving your best to creative endeavors, and being open to the beauty in life. When you feel good, you invite yourself to participate in more experiences that feel good.

5. Love and Introspection
The end of the year is the perfect time for self-love and self-evaluation. As you look back on the dreams, goals, objectives, and projects you had planned for the past year, take stock of where you actually are. Did you allow your life to develop in meaningful way over the past year? Avoid the temptation of self-flagellation for goals that weren’t met, and use the opportunity of reflection to assess what’s still important. Be supportive of yourself as you recognize what you achieved, what you learned about yourself, and the strengths that developed over the past months. Love yourself for who you are right now and love yourself for knowing who you want to become more of.

As the year winds down, stop and give yourself a good closure. Let yourself know that you have come to the end, summarize your achievements, and reinforce your commitment to a central idea. Follow the tips above and know that there’s no reason why this year can’t have a perfectly fabulous ending!