How to Maximize Your December!

It's finally December, and 2017 is coming to a close! So many things have happened, fortunate and unfortunate things alike, but somehow you've managed to make it to the last month of the year. During this month many people will go ice-skating, shopping, visit bookstores, and drink coffee at the nearest Starbucks, but while we make time for these wonderful excursions, we must make time for our personal advancement by assessing 2017 and properly preparing for 2018. We have to maximize December! Here are some tips on how to do so:

1. Retract

Our lives are busy! We have responsibilities at school, work, organizations, with our families, friends, and significant others. Then on top of all of this, we just want to have a little holiday fun! But the first step to prepare for a new year is to isolate yourself from everyone and everything connected to the year that is on its way out the door, in this case 2017. Choose a time period whether its a couple days or a week, and just unplug from everything you were involved in and every person you were involved with. Go into hiding almost. Just be by your lonesome. If you're always on-the-go, you will appreciate this first step because it will give you time to yourself that you normally do not have.

2. Regroup

This step may require just a tad bit more work, and may test your memory on photos and videos. Write down all the major experiences (good and bad) that you have had this year. If it was enough for you to remember, it should probably be written down. If it influenced something else in another aspect of your life, it should probably be written  You can even write down major people from this year that had a good or bad impact on your life. If you never took the time to actually see everything and everyone you have been involved with, you will appreciate this.

3. Review

The 3rd step is going through each of the experiences from step 2 and asking yourself: "Why did this work" or "Why did this not work?" "How did this make me feel?" "Why did I continue?" Why did I not continue?" "What did I learn about myself during this experience?" "What did I take from this experience?" This is probably one of most important steps because it gives you meaning behind every thing that happened in your life during the year.

4. Recover

We all love to do this one! Relaxatttiiiooonnn! This step is for doing that which you find complete joy in. You've worked hard all year. You owe yourself at least a couple of days or a week of doing what you like to do. Use this time to encourage yourself. Catch up on sleep and Netflix shows that you couldn't enjoy during the year. Learn to cook something new. And above all, do not forget to plan the beginning of 2018 with the lessons that you've learned from 2017.

5. Rebirth

"Allow me to reintroduce myself...!" You are new and improved. You are not the 2017 version of you because you have successfully unpacked 2017 and extracted all lessons and values that you were meant to gain. This is the 2.0 version of you, so move in confidence! You are another year stronger and wiser, ready to take on and conquer what is to come in the new year!