Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, for several years now (about 15) I have a tradition that I respect with holiness. This break between the holidays gives me more time to reflect on the past year achievements and to visualise how I want the new year to look like. This tradition has evolved into an exercise that I and many of my clients have found beneficial over time.
Write a short letter (list) addressed to yourself.
1. The most important aspect to begin with is to write down everything you have accomplished; people, events, or things that you are proud of & grateful for.
This introduction depends greatly on the person. For some, joy and satisfaction arise from the relationships they've created with other people (friends, family), the relationship they've developed with themselves (both emotionally and spiritually), or specific events that they are profoundly satisfied with (the birth of a child, forming or maintaining a harmonious family, a promotion at work, or simply the relationship with one's own body). Before you begin planning for the next year, make a list of everything for which you are grateful this year.
2. The second aspect is to visualise (imagine) how we want our lives to look like in a year's time. Again, the way we want 2022 to be differs from person to person; everyone makes their own decisions based on their own circumstances, where they are in life, and the resources they possess. Putting your desires on paper helps us to see it clearer; you may discover something you didn't realise was missing, or you may simply realise that what you have is enough and you only need to maintain it .Play with your mind and imagine that you have a garden that you want to help become more fruitful, brighter, and, why not, more productive. This garden, like our lives, requires constant care, just as we water the plants and vegetables and adjust the care we give them based on the season, in the same way we can replicate it in the growth of your life. With small, steady steps, day by day .... as you grow this garden so you can increase the quality of your life, you can add something beneficial: Relaxation when the body requires it, Sleep when you feel you need it, Healthy food to maintain your well-being and last but not least, caring for your emotions.
Paying attention to how you feel and what you feel can be painful and uncomfortable at first, because you might notice both positive and negative emotions but sometimes you might need this big picture to get to know yourself better and to resolve situations that you did not knew how.
Putting it on paper or on the mental screen what you want to achieve is not enough, what matters is the Action (the first step) .. ... be brave, confident and go for better, go towards you with great care, understanding and compassion.