This post is slightly off topic, but it’s about a subject that everyone should have at the forefront of their minds at the end of each year. Pressing the ‘stop’ button and looking back at the previous year, taking time out to assess what we achieved, lost or what worked for us can help us shape our objectives for the coming year.
You may jump from one day to the next without taking time out to examine your happiness (or unhappiness) and you may not be able to ascertain why you’re feeling the way you do. As a Teaching Assistant (or soon to be), there are multiple issues to deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes you don’t have the time to assess where you could have improved the handling of a bad situation or how to enable more spare time for yourself. You may be completing a course that isn’t going so well or undertaking voluntary work which isn’t appealing to you anymore and are wondering whether you’ve made poor choices in 2013. Maybe you succeeded in an area without realising?
When you look back at 2013, what did you achieve or not achieve? Some achievements we make public to others, some are deeply personal and we keep to ourselves, but if want to learn how to make plans for 2014, take a step back, put your feet up and start noting down some answers:
Challenges last year
- Note down some challenges you faced which made you feel uneasy, hopeless or sad and detail why you felt this way.
- If faced with a challenge, how can you react and deal with the situation better?
- How can you inject positivity in the way you handle challenges?
- What can you do each day in 2014 to improve your self worth and enable you to handle bad situations differently?
Joyful moments last year:
- Can you think of two instances that made you laugh wildly?
- What do these instances have in common? Were they with similar people and/or places?
- How can you increase the number of these situations in 2014?
- Were there sorrowful times last year? If these times occurred frequently with specific people or places, how can you reduce them in 2014?
Letting go last year:
- Has your life improved by letting go of things? If so, detail why your life improved.
- What are you still holding on to and what impact is it having on your life now?
Objectives last year:
- What objectives did you have last year (promotion, courses, improved social life etc)?
- Which objectives were successful and why?
- What objectives can you set for 2014 and how will you reach your goals?
- What worked well for you in 2013 that can help you get what you want in 2014?
Time for yourself last year:
- Note down four activities you wanted to make time for in 2013, but couldn’t?
- Why couldn’t you make time for these activities and how could this be improved?
- How will you ensure you make adequate time for yourself in 2014?
Achievements last year:
- What did I achieve last year that I would consider a success?
- What steps did I take to obtain this achievement?
- How can I ensure I achieve in 2014?