Have you ever noticed what happens as soon as the clock hits midnight on Christmas Day? Everyone stops talking about the magic of the holidays and gets right into stressing about the new year. 

Instead of pressuring yourself to set resolutions, set rituals. The ritual I’m proposing helps you focus on your positive intentions and the purpose of those intentions. Unlike a resolution, which is full of rigidity and obligation, the result of this ritual leads to informed actions.  The questions to ask yourself are:

1. What do I want to start doing this year? 
2. What do I want to stop doing this year? 
3. What do I want to focus on in 2023? 

By "start doing" I mean — what goals do you have in mind for 2023? How do you need to reach those goals? What things have you put off doing because they seem hard or scary?  What bucket list items do you want to check off? What do you feel the need to start? 

By "stop doing" I mean  — what things, assumptions, stories or emotional cycles do you want...

The week between Christmas and New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by and to approach the year ahead with purpose and intention. A lot of emphasis is placed on this being a time to make big changes in our lives and while this can prove to be a useful motivator for many, it is also important to recognize that meaningful transitions and milestones are happening all year round. 

Our efforts in forging forward with life are meaningful and valuable regardless of when they occur. However, I have found that giving myself the space to reflect during this specific week, leads to a clear mind for the New Year. 

The reflection I do comes from the framework of the Start Stop Continue Method. 

Start Stop Continue is an intuitive framework that lets you collect feedback on three aspects:

• What you should start doing;
• What you should stop doing; and
• What you should continue doing.

These prompts allow you to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the next. Notice ...