“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” ~ Charles Dickens

As we head into the New Year, many of us spend time reflecting in order to set New Year’s resolutions or intentions.  Maybe your someone who doesn’t reflect . . . maybe you just shut the door to the past and push forward without evaluating and incorporating your life lessons into your future.

You’ve heard a saying like, “Everything happens for a reason”, “a failure is only a failure if you didn’t learn something” or any variation of such.  The point is that there are lessons in everything we do.  If you learn the lessons you can move forward in a much more advantageous way than if you ignore them and potentially keep making the same mistakes.

I believe the five most powerful questions for you to ask yourself in order to incorporate your life lessons into your future planning are:

What Went Well? What were your successes in the last year? (Or whatever time frame you’re looking at).  What was easy for you, most fun?  What gave you the biggest sense of accomplishment or satisfaction?

What Challenges Did I Have? What happened that felt like a road block or quick sand?  Did you feel overwhelmed by something?  What have you done or are still doing that feels like a chore? Is there something that you do not want to continue doing?

What Did I Learn From My Success? How did you feel? What surprised you?  Where there any life lessons or connections made from these successes? Where you outside of your comfort zone or your usual environment? Did that make a difference?  Who were you with?  What made these successes?

What Did I Learn From My Challenges? How did you feel? What surprised you?  Where there any life lessons or connections made from these Challenges? Where you outside of your comfort zone or your usual environment? Did that make a difference?  Who were you with?  Why are these things challenges?

How Can I Use These Lessons to My Advantage? What do these lessons mean to your current situation?  How can you use the lessons moving forward?  Incorporate the positive lessons learned into your life as you move into the new year.

It’s time you take charge of your life – live out loud and be who you want to be!  You have the power to create your life so reflect and use the lessons to create an authentic life of happiness and success.