Turning Last Year’s Baggage into Next Year’s Treasure (Workshop)
1. Hopes For The Past Year
Wind the clock back 12 months
What did you expect or hope to happen this year?
What did you hope to start?
What did you wish to build on?
What did you want to let go or stop?
2. How Things Went
Reflect on the past 12 months
What DID happen this year?
What didn’t turn out as expected?
What went well?
What resources made a positive difference in your life? (e.g. a particular person, tool, community, course, book etc.)
What was missing this year?
What made progress difficult?
3. Lessons Learned
What have you learned from the gap?
What specific things have you learned about yourself this year?
What do you know now that you didn’t know 12 months ago?
How might you approach things differently if you went back and did it all again?
4. Seeds For Next Year
What would you like to emerge over the next year?
What would you like to see emerge, grow, or change in the year ahead?
What do you want to continue?
What do you want to let go of?
What do you want to start?
Turn Your Responses into a Treasure Map
Create a map of your chosen island area and add your intention for next year.
Add the sludge (potential obstacles to progress)
In light of this year’s lessons, what are the things that might slow or prevent things from growing in the way you’d love?
Roads, pathways, tracks
Add as many small and simple actions that are easy to take, which will help you navigate around the sludge (there are different ways to get to the same place). Include words of encouragement and comfort.
Include resources that have helped before (people, communities, a course, a book, a tool etc.) before or when you feel stuck
Take the Scenic Route: it’s not just about forward progress. Identify places for rest, celebration, and play.
This exercise is adapted from the full Return to Serenity Island course. If you enjoyed it, you will love the adventure waiting for you. Learn more here.
