Ok, so looking back at 2012 can be a vision of woe seeing only what didn’t get done, what shouldn’t have been done, and all the failures that occurred or it can be a great way to check off the list of all the things you’ve achieved and a way to build the platform for more achievements in 2013. I’m thinking the glass half full is probably the more positive and life affirming way to go so let’s pick option 2.
Last year you had a list of or idea of what you wanted to accomplish in the year. Could have been grand castles in the sky dreams, could have been just maintain because what I’ve got is good, could have been ‘Dear Cheesus, please save me from the horrendous life!’ or anywhere in between. But you had the vision and it may have morphed through the year as situations happened and life changed. So now is a good time to look back and work on two things: 1) What was my vision(s) of what I was going to become in 2012 and how does that influence the vision(s) I have for 2013? 2) What did I accomplish in 2012 that helped me achieve that vision(s) and what did that teach me about myself and life so I can achieve my vision(s) for 2013?
It’s not about blame or shame, it’s about digging your hands into the bowl of 2012 that you’ve collected and sifting everything through your fingers. The bowl is full of beautiful bits of stuff from tiny to large and as you’re wanting to start the new piece of art that is 2013 you’ll be working with this bowl as a starting point. So sift through it to find what worked and what is going to make sense going forward. You don’t want to just dump all this stuff on the new artwork because then it wouldn’t be art. Get your hands dirty, look at every little piece of what happened last year and see it’s beauty and it’s possibilities. This is who you were and the blank canvas in front of you is who you will become. You can’t make art if you hate the medium you’re working with so open your mind and turn off the critic that judges you before you’ve even started. If you don’t give yourself a chance, who will?