Break the Mold and Learn from Your Past — Image by MLARANDA from Pixabay

(Updated Feb 10, 2021)

Learn from the past to Plan for the Future

Break the mold and learn from the past rather then trying to ignore what happened. Plan to implement changes in your life based on lessons learned in 2020 – and, if you’re human, there were many! It was a challenging year for everyone.

Take time to figure out where you are today, so you can decide where you want to go with the new normal (whatever that is going to be).

An honest evaluation of lessons learned in 2020 can give you a clearer perspective on your life and how to move forward.

Take Time to Absorb the Lessons

Set aside a day — or at least a few hours by yourself, and take an inventory of your life in 2020.

Complete the exercise with no filters — just look at what happened last year and discover the lessons learned.

Let your thoughts flow freely and write what comes to mind.

Let each question sink in, sit quietly with your thoughts, and with an honest, open heart write down your answers.

1. What were the three most important things that happened in my life last year?
2. What worked and what didn’t?
3. Where and when was I at my best?
4. Where and when was I at my worst?
5. What are the most valuable lessons learned?
6. What did I do to improve myself personally and/or professionally?
7. In what areas of my life did I move forward and where did I backslide?
8. Who did I spend time with? Were they good choices — or not — and why? How did they add value to my life? How did I add value to theirs?
9. Are there toxic people in my life that I should let go of? Who and why?
10. What is the state of each of my important relationships? What can I do differently to improve them?
11. Overall, did I use my time wisely — Why or why not?

Moving Forward

You should now have a clear picture of your life over the past year.

Based on your evaluation of 2020, what are the three most important things you want to accomplish in 2021 (even though there is still a lot of uncertainty)?

1. __________________________________

2. __________________________________

3. __________________________________

Five Basic Rules to Follow for the New Year

Break the mold and learn from the past.
Keep it simple and enjoy the process – focus on the person you want to be.
Make changes in small increments — start small and take it one step at a time.
Keep a record (a journal) of your progress — make an entry every day. This can be a formal hard copy journal or notes in a file on your computer (which is how I do it).
When you get off track, get back on.