End of Year Visual Examen

End of Year VISUAL EXAMEN

I’ve never been one to create New Year’s Resolutions. However, the idea of reflecting for the purpose of living life with intentionality, resonates. If given the space, I could enter into reflection and processing mode for hours. Unfortunately, this is an unrealistic expectation in this season of life and especially during the holidays. As of late, I give myself the whole month of January, not just the last day of the year or the first of the new year. Using an examen as a form of reflecting with God allows me to see where He was at work. Using visual cues allows for deeper and more holistic processing. In this space I consider how I grew, saw God at work, grieved or celebrated and ultimately became a different person in the year prior moving into the new year with purpose. Here are a few suggested questions and approaches.    

Top Reflection Questions:

·      What area(s) consumed my thinking and attention most?

·      Where did I experience God’s delight?

·      What are the most important events that took place in the last year?

·      Who are some of the significant people that were present in my life?

·      Where did I see the greatest breakthroughs (physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually)?

·      Where did I see the Lord at work in me this year?

While you may begin by just diving in, I find a few approaches aide my processing best. Begin by creating a quiet reflective space. Set aside distractions. Choose one of the following 4 visual prompts approaches.

Approach:

1.     15-30 minutes: Look through your calendar and make a list of the top events. Let these events prompt your thoughts as you contemplate the questions above.  

2.     30 minutes-1 hour: If you take photos, look back over the year’s pictures, such as on your smart phone and allow the visual stimulus to jog your brain in reflecting the questions above.

3. 1-2 hours: If you journal, look at your entries from the last year and note the important events and areas that concerned you or caused you great delight. You took time to write them down for one reason or another, note how they impact the questions above. (Looking back over emails or social media posts may serve as a similar form of mental stimulation.)

4.     1-3 hours: Utilize one of the above methods together with this visual reflection exercise of a clock. Having already made a list of important events, draw a clock adding numbers. The numbers will correspond to the months of the year (Jan = 1, Dec = 12). Start with 1/Jan. Use this as a prayerful exercise. Consider the highlights, breakthroughs, consuming thoughts or God’s delight in this specific period of time – January. Ask yourself a few questions like: Where were you as the clock turned last year? Who were you with? What has changed since January? What were you celebrating? What were you grieving?

Take your time and ask similar questions for each month. Allow the visual prompts as listed above to aide your memory. Draw or make note of the thoughts or feelings you want to capture within or outside of the clock. By the time you get through December you will be reflecting on recent days.

From there consider the integration of your examen with goal-setting or future-forward movement.

1. What Question(s) do I currently need answering from God?

2. What am I carrying with me into the New Year that I would like God’s healing around? 

3. What word, verse or song stands out to me right now as one to carry with me throughout the year?  

Consider who you want to share this with – your spouse, best friend, coach or team. What feels most significant to you from this experience? What support do you need going into this year?

Well done! Celebrate having created the time to listen to your head, heart, body and life!

New Year's Visual Examen Exercise

As I prepare for the new year ahead, I find I long for a well wrapped-up and understood year of learning behind me. When I was a child, I recall my mom suggested a tradition from her childhood for New Year’s Eve – ripping up the previous year’s calendar! It felt bold! I loved the idea of an intentional marking of time with a celebration and a mess! And while I’m guilty as an adult of not carrying on the family tradition (I can’t part with my journal/calendar), I recognize the need to pause and consider the many gifts of the year (and now decade!!) prior. Whether you’ve had an incredible amount of change or loss or a year full of amazing surprises; or while you may anticipate transition or more uncertainty on the horizon, the opportunity to take a deep reflective pause and make note of the year prior affords us space for both gratitude and perspective.     

While I love to reflect and process for hours, I’ve found the desired space is not always readily available in this season of life and during the holidays. I’ve found grace in giving myself the whole month of January, as of late. But even still a less comprehensive and intimidating reflection exercise was needed for me to be able to enter in. Here are a few carefully chosen questions and 4 suggested approaches, depending on time.    

Top reflection questions:

1.     What are the most important events that took place in the last year? Who are some of the significant people?

2.     Where did I see the greatest breakthroughs (physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually)?

3.     What area(s) consumed my thinking and attention most?

4.     Where did I experience God’s delight?

So while you may begin by just diving in, I find a few approaches aide my processing best. Begin by creating a quiet reflective space. Set aside distractions. Choose one of the following 4 visual prompts depending on how much time you can afford.

1.     15-30 minutes: Take a look through your calendar and make a list of the top events on your calendar. Let these events prompt your thoughts as you contemplate the answers to these questions.

2.     30 minutes-1 hour: If you take pictures, take a look back over the year’s pictures and allow the visual stimulus to jog your brain in reflecting.

3.     1-2 hours: Look back over your journal from the last year and note the important events and areas that concerned you or caused you great delight. You took time to write them down, note how they impact the questions above. (If you don’t journal or didn’t this year, looking back over emails or Facebook posts may stimulate some of the same thoughts).

4.     1-3 hours: Utilize one of the above methods together with this visual reflection exercise. Having already made a list of important events, Draw a clock with numbers corresponding to the months of the year (Jan = 1, Dec = 12). Starting with 1, meditate as you draw or write simple words that represent the highlights, breakthroughs, consuming thoughts or God’s delight of January the year prior. Where were you as the clock turned last year? Who were you with? What has changed since?

Give yourself time to go through each month, draw or make note of the thoughts or feelings you want to capture within or outside of the clock. 

*If you’re able, this is a great exercise to do with a team or family while one person narrates the questions and others silently meditate and draw/write. After 20-30 minutes you may desire to share the answers altogether or with another person.

I used one or two words to highlight some of the events or people that were important. I chose to add color and symbols to the highs and lows.

This simple visual reflection exercise invites me to examen my head, heart and body. I’m prompted to be mindful to the present with a grateful heart. It’s as if I’m afforded a sense of closure and yet simultaneously able to recognize what is still undone. As well, I’m more open and anticipate the unknowns of the year coming. As I approach the New Year I’m able to bring a centeredness into the coming year. Here are a couple of transition questions I transfer from my examen and integrate into the New Year:

1. What Question(s) do I currently need answering from God?

2. What am I carrying with me into the New Year that I would like God’s healing around? 

3. What word, verse or song might God want to use to speak to me this year? 

Question: What practices do you observe for contemplation of the year prior? What are your favorite questions you utilize as the New Year approaches?