This time of year always brings mixed emotions for me. Another birthday celebrated. Another year almost finished on the calendar. I find myself coming to these same or similar questions each year:

• Did I accomplish everything I wanted to this year?
• What do I want to do next year?
• Am I moving towards what I want to be doing?
• How much time did I waste worrying about things that didn’t really matter?
• Do I have enough time to do all the things I want in life?

I’m not a gambling person, but I’m fairly certain that if you are even near my age category, these same types of questions run through your head, too. In my younger days, there would have been variations of the questions, but the themes are really the same:

• Time
• Choice
• Worry/Overthinking
• Creating Impact
• Action with Intention
• Mattering

Do you agree?

Along with these same recurring thoughts, I had a couple of new ones this year.

• I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
• The things I am doing now matter.
• It’s the day-to-day things that make the impact. Focus on the day.

Interesting. Some of these could almost contradict the same old thought patterns I was used to having roll around in my head. I decided that this year, I’m going to keep it simple because I realize that many of the things I am doing are working. Some of the new thought patterns are making a difference. Here are the three simple things I’m going to do:

Stop: What am I going to stop doing that is no longer serving me?

Stay: What am I going to continue doing that is working?

Start: Is there anything I need/want to start that will connect with and complement the work I am doing?

That’s it. I’m going to break it down into three simple categories. I’m excited to see what emerges. How about you? Would this be a useful exercise for you to try out? I’d love to hear what you come up with.

Happy New Year!