The year is close to an end. It is the time when everyone reflects back on the past months, what they achieved, goals reached, failures, regrets, and personal growth. Self-reflection is actually a great way to determine if you have checked all resolutions from your "year resolution list” for those who make them as the year starts, or if you need to make changes or improvements in the next year.
Reflecting when the year is ending helps us to do better in the next year, reflection of the past year is to look at the highs and lows, the wins and the losses, and to evaluate them in a way that will improve one’s overall performance in the next year.
Edwige Iradukunda, a project manager and mentor, says that a self-reflection as the year ends teaches us how to deal with similar situations that happened to us that year, the next time they happen.
"We all learn from our mistakes and take out a lesson, that is why reflection is important because if this year you weren’t productive enough and ended up with no real accomplishments, you will want to change that in the next year, and you will learn from the outcomes of being unproductive, and will surely find ways to not be unproductive in the coming year,” she says.
Iradukunda explains that the simplest way to self-reflect on the ending year is to look back on the list of resolutions you made starting that same year, and check if all resolutions were achieved, or at least you have cross-checked a big part of the list.
"Start with the list you made starting this year, you probably have saved it on your phone, or laptop or you wrote it in your journal, then go back to the list read through it, and see if you have been fair to your annual resolutions. Be true to yourself and don’t try to lie to yourself that you did some of the things listed but in reality, you didn’t achieve anything. Because if you lie to yourself, in the next year you will continue to have the same result and ye you want to excel maybe, so be true to yourself, and also put out a strategy to help you even cross-check the remaining ones,” she says.
Iradukunda adds, "And if you find out that you have checked all the resolutions from the list, make another list, and make a stronger one with different resolutions. It is important to celebrate yourself no matter what you achieved because it gives you the courage to keep on”.
Octave Rurangwa, a cinematographer, says that one way to do a self-reflection is also to ask questions.
"Ask yourself many questions, questions that intend to analyze if the year was successful or a failure, ask yourself some questions like:”
What were the best things that happened to me in the past year? What were the biggest and smallest goals I achieved? Why did I achieve them? What action step I took that got me to achieve them successfully? Which goals I didn’t achieve? Do I want to transfer them the next year? If yes, do they need to be adjusted better to my life?
What other interesting traits have I noticed about myself in the past year? How did I react in different stressful situations? How would I wish I had reacted? If I had to choose one personal thing to change in the past year, which one would that be? How would I change it? How did the past year make me feel?
Rurangwa adds that asking questions is essential because it also helps to determine that there are some goals that may not need to need to be achieved right now, and that may need time and patience.
"You also need to realise that you are in no rush to achieve some goals because some goals need time and patience. Yes having big goals is fun but achieving them can be hard so it is okay to not be hard on yourself when you don’t achieve them, because you still have time to achieve them, but also those are the goals that may seem to be needing a lot of time not the ones that are achieved easier in a year,” he says.
Rurangwa stresses on being grateful because it is also crucial while reflecting on the resolutions and yourself, Gratitude helps a person to appreciate the past year. Rurangwa says that adding what you are grateful for on your list allows you to reflect and also helps to look forward to achieving more in the next year.