The fast-approaching Christmas holiday reminds me that we’re in the final countdown to 2022.
Now is the perfect time to do some reflection. In fact, for 2,000+ years now, people have used this time of the year for reflecting back and looking ahead.
Fun Fact: Did you know that January was named for the ancient Roman mythological god of beginnings and transitions, Janus. He is depicted as having two faces — one that looks backward and one that looks ahead. The ancient Romans believed that Janus symbolically looked back into the previous year and forward into the future. So when Julius Caesar established the Julian Calendar in 46BC, he named January 1 as the beginning of the new year in celebration of Janus and what he symbolically represented. And to this day, we celebrate January 1 as New Year’s Day.
Even though the recognition of Janus became irrelevant, the tradition of looking back and looking ahead on New Year’s day continued. In the 1700s, English Clergyman and founder of Methodism, John Wesley, created the Covenant Renewal Service to consider one’s past mistakes and resolve to do and be better in the future. In his faith tradition, he’d hold special worship services to encourage people to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the year to come. These services became significant times of worship, reflection, and making resolutions for the new year approaching.
Still today, we can all benefit from looking back on the past year and considering what changes or resolutions we can make to do and be better in the new year.
What do you hope will be different in 2022? And, as much as it’s in your power to make a change, do you have a plan to make this happen?
As a Christmas gift to you this year, I want to provide you with a free tool to help you do a good job reflecting on 2021 and looking ahead to 2022. It’s a tool that I’ve used for a few years now, and I plan to use it for many years to come.
This tool will walk you through a series of six questions to help you reflect on 2021 — and ten more questions to promote a life-changing and prosperous new year.
Again, it’s my gift to you. I know you are a person who values personal growth — you wouldn’t be reading my blog if you didn’t.
I hope you find it both thought-provoking and valuable as you consider the opportunities that the new year will afford you.
Happy reflecting.
Looking ahead to 2022 - and my free gift to you this Christmas🌲
