End '08 with '08 in Mind

A client of mine got laid off six months ago from a very lucrative position that offered him leadership and creative responsibility. Following the layoff he was grateful for his new-found downtime and even began to do some volunteer work in his community. Nonetheless, with the end of the year right around the corner he has started becoming very anxious and negative towards himself. We were clear that this anxiety was coming from the fact that he has not yet found a new position. We decided that we would review job search strategies and make some new choices in support of his landing a new role in 2009. However, I encouraged him to engage in consciously completing 2008 by acknowledging what he had accomplished and what he had to be grateful for.

He was able to identify some accomplishments that he was proud of both at work before his lay off, his volunteer work and more. He also knows he has a lot to be grateful for, including the family that he is spending the holidays with. In addition to allowing him to honor himself for his accomplishments this exercise also helped him shift away from the slippery negative slope he was about to get on, which will support him in manifesting his dreams for 2009.

I know how easy it is to ambitiously dive into new opportunities. Many of you (and me) are thinking about the New Year and what you want to accomplish. You are aggressively mapping new visions as you anxiously await opportunities that 2009 will bring. Tapping into the power of your imagination and mapping visions well in advance is critical to turning dreams and intentions into reality. However, many of you will sacrifice being fully present to another year ending as you do this, which as visible in my client's example, is a disservice to you and the ones you love.

It is imperative that in consciousness and presence you end with the end in mind before jumping into new action plans for 2009. What I mean by this is that you fully acknowledge the completion of 2008. This will support you in clearing the past and any regrets you may be harboring, which will help to empower your new visions.

I am offering three tips to help you remain conscious and present; and powerfully complete 2008.

1. Accomplishments
Before the New Year arrives I encourage you to take the time to make a list of all your accomplishments in the past year. When you have made the list, acknowledge yourself. Take a few moments to congratulate yourself and really honor yourself for your accomplishments. I know I could easily end the year bummed out thinking I hadn't accomplished enough. However, whenever I consciously engage in this exercise I always discover that I have not given myself enough credit for all that I did accomplish.

2. Gratitude
Before the year completes make a list of what it is you have been truly grateful for in the past year. You can be grateful for adversity and joy. More often than not there are great lessons that only come through our adverse experiences. In December of 2007 I was laid off from my last full time corporate position. Up until this layoff my coaching, seminar work, and writing had always been part time. It was this layoff that facilitated my decision to pursue my love and enthusiasm for this work full time. As a result, I can honestly say that my lay off was a gift. I am truly grateful. I believe it was this lay off that helped pave the way for my achievements in 2008. I encourage you to look for the gifts in your life whether from adversity or joy and to step fully into gratitude before 2008 is over.

3. Letting go and calling forth
Make a list of what it is you intend to let go of, therefore, leave in 2008. In addition, make a list of what it is you intend to call forth in your life in the New Year. I suggest creating these lists separately. When you are complete with the lists and have read them I encourage you to burn your "letting go" list. For instance, perhaps one of the qualities you want to leave in the past year is procrastination. As you let go of procrastination, perhaps in 2009 you are choosing to call forth the qualities of joy and inspiration. I am grateful that as 2007 ended I chose to consciously let go of the job from which I had just been laid off, including regrets and judgments I was harboring. I called forth new, great opportunities known and unknown. As stated above, I have had a fruitful year following my heart and sharing my gifts. My wish is the same for you in 2009.

These three simple exercises are a powerful way to complete the year in full awareness. They will support you in experiencing gratitude for the gifts and lessons that come from both adverse and joyful circumstances. In addition, this kind of completion will allow you to enter 2009 with velocity and clarity about what you intend to create next year.
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Learn more about Jason and A.C.T.ion Centered Transformationat www.jmannino.com and sign up for free newsletter and e-books.

Comments

[Mickey19]

Very nice take on new year and old year. I always look forward to what the next year will bring, hadn't thought much about 'leaving' things behind in the old year, the year just completed. I like that idea and will give it a whole hearted try. Thanks, Jason!

[Alexio62]

"Very insightful and worthwhile.
Those who act upon your inspiration and presentation will be enhanced in 2009!
A significant article with the power to inspire individuals to action.
Alex"

[LeviKreis]

Fantastic Jason! The perfect mindset to prepare to manifest new experiences in 09 minimize "08 hold-over" Signing up for your emails; great advice. Keep writing brilliant articles.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

Levi

''08 holdover" I like that and it succinctly describes what I am putting forward here. Thanks for your encouragement. It is deeply appreciated.

Have a blessed '09
Jason

[skippyB]

The inauguration is on my mind too - This is a great time to take these steps on a couple of levels --

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

Hey, SkippyB

That's a great point, so many perspectives from which to approach what I put forward here.

Thanks for your feedback!

Jason

[debrahdoc]

its good to take time and reflect on our past plans and accomplishments. this is especially true as mercury is retrograde most of january 09.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

Debrahdoc:

Thanks for your comments. As someone who is not much of a student of astrology I would be grateful if you explained the relevance of Mercury in retrograde in relationship to what I put forward in my article.

Thanks!
Have a blessed '09

[debrahdoc]

Jason,

Sure. But I find it hard to believe that you live in socal and aren't familiar with mercury retrograde! I heard the whole state of california stops working during mercury retro periods! Ha Ha ha ha.
In any event, Mercury retro periods are better for redoing things, revisiting things, regrouping. These periods arent so hot for getting off the ground with a new project, because after the retro ends, invariably the new project never works out right or it significantly changes.
So you posited in your article that we should really review our 08 to better inform our plans for 09. This is exactly in line with astrological timing for jan, 09 because of the retro period. Reviewing our past is exactly what is relevant during these periods. It is from the 11th and lasts 3 weeks.

[muscleboundH]

Nice idea. I usually make a list of new years resolutions . Might be a good idea to try to be more conscious of the year's end as well as the new year.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

MuslcebounH

I encourage you to make your list of resolutions, however, as I've stated in the article really acknowledging endings consciously before diving into new intentions/beginnings, not only supports our own personal integrity, but it also helps to conserve energy for these new endeavors.

Also, stay tuned for next weeks article, It is all about how to turn resolutions into reality.

Happy New Year!
Jason

[justin90069]

Agreed and inspired!

[ManSoRare]

I think maybe you are placing too much emphasis on a specific date on a calendar that in itself can cause anxieties about endings and beginnings. Reflection on accomplishment is good and should happen throughout one's own personal life cycles organically, not just at the end of a christian calendar year. Because I am an entrepreneur and create and recreate my own work over and over, I probably live through this reflection cycle on a daily basis. Taking stock of the day's accomplishments offsets any of its losses and allows me the creative energy to continue to pursue new avenues the next day and every day after.

I find lists confining and time-consuming and they can sometimes put unnecessary restraints on future creativity. An item on a list can become an expectation that one starts to resent when or if they can't live up to it. Or if a list becomes too long it can become overwhelming. I prefer to look for "threads". The things that might tie all the items on a list together and then allow myself to focus on only one "thread" at a time.

I survived a life-threatening illness and at the time I had hundreds of lists, lists. But utlimately it wasn't until I stopped trying to combine a perfect list as a road to a cure, and focused on a much bigger picture (a thread maybe), that all the items on the lists started to finally take care of themselves.

[Jason Mannino - Huffpost Blogger]

MansoRare:

thanks for your insight. I agree with you, this type of acknowledgment is definitely not a one time end of year endeavor. This can easily be an ongoing process. One thing I do every day is acknowledge at least 5 things I have to be grateful for, which is in line with this type of practice.

I agree with you in regards to "lists" also. In this article I am in no way encouraging the use of lists to manage your life in an ongoing way. As a matter of fact in my coaching I don't encourage lists at all. My only purpose in the lists described in this article is simply for the ritual of completing the year, or at any time of completion.

Thanks for sharing!!

Jason