What a long year it has been! As we approach the final days of 2023, it’s natural to feel a mix of emotions: relief, gratitude, nostalgia, excitement, and maybe even some sadness. How do you feel about the end of the year?
The end of the year is a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future. It’s a time to acknowledge our achievements, challenges, and learnings. It’s a time to express our appreciation for the people who have supported us, inspired us, and loved us. It’s a time to make resolutions, set goals, and dream big for the next year.
In this blogpost, I will share with you some of the concepts and activities that can help you make the most of the last of the year. I will also tell you a story of how I overcame a personal obstacle and learned a valuable lesson that changed my perspective on life. I hope that by reading this blogpost, you will feel inspired and motivated to embrace the end of the year as an opportunity for growth and joy.
Concepts for the Last Day Related Lessons
One of the concepts that can help you reflect on the past year is the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It’s a tool that helps you identify your internal and external factors that affect your performance and goals. By doing a SWOT analysis, you can recognize your areas of improvement, leverage your competitive advantages, discover new possibilities, and anticipate potential challenges.
To do a SWOT analysis for yourself, you can use a simple table with four quadrants. In the first quadrant, write down your strengths: the skills, qualities, and resources that you have and that make you stand out. In the second quadrant, write down your weaknesses: the gaps, limitations, and challenges that you face and that hold you back. In the third quadrant, write down your opportunities: the trends, events, and situations that you can take advantage of and that can help you achieve your goals. In the fourth quadrant, write down your threats: the risks, obstacles, and competitors that you need to be aware of and that can hinder your progress.
Another concept that can help you celebrate the present and look forward to the future is gratitude. Gratitude is the feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for what you have and what you experience. It’s a powerful emotion that can boost your happiness, health, and relationships. By practicing gratitude, you can focus on the positive aspects of your life, cope with stress, and overcome challenges.
One of the ways to practice gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal, where you write down three things that you are grateful for every day, and why. This can help you notice and appreciate the small and big things that make your life better, such as a sunny day, a delicious meal, a kind word, a good book, a hug, a smile, etc. You can also express your gratitude to others by saying thank you, giving compliments, writing notes, or doing favors. This can strengthen your bonds, increase your trust, and improve your mood.
Here are some examples of what I wrote in my gratitude journal this week:
* I am grateful for my family, who always support me, encourage me, and love me unconditionally.
*I am grateful for my blog, which allows me to share my thoughts, ideas, and stories with the world, and to connect with other like-minded people.
*I am grateful for my health, which enables me to enjoy life and to pursue my passions.
Inspiring Story
Let me tell you a story of how I learned to be more grateful in the past year. It was a cold and rainy day in November, and I was feeling miserable., my motorcyle had broken down, and it's a due date of my children's tuition in school, unable to pay 2 months electricity bill. I felt like nothing was going right in my life, and I blamed myself and everything for my misfortune. I was bitter, and depressed.
As I was walking home, I saw a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, holding a sign that said ‘Anything helps'. He looked cold, hungry, and hopeless. He smiled at me and said, ‘God bless you’. I felt a pang of guilt and shame. I realized that I had so much more than he did, and yet I was complaining about my life. I only have 5 pesos but still I gave it to him. even I suffer financial crises but still I'm lucky as compared to him, He thanked me profusely and said, ‘You just made my day’. I felt a surge of warmth and joy. I realized that I had so much to be grateful for, and that by helping others, I could help myself. I learned that gratitude is not only a feeling, but also an action. I learned that gratitude can change my attitude, and my attitude can change my life.
That day, I started a gratitude journal, where I wrote down three things that I was grateful for every day. I noticed that I became more optimistic, resilient, and satisfied with my life.
I challenge you to try this simple exercise: every day, write down three things that you are grateful for, and why. You will be amazed by how much this can improve your mood, health, and well-being. You will also be more likely to notice and appreciate the opportunities and blessings that come your way. You will discover that gratitude is the key to happiness.
Conclusion
In this blogpost, I shared with you some of the concepts and activities that can help you make the most of the last of the year. I also told you a story of how I learned to be more grateful and how it changed my life. I hope that you found this blogpost helpful and inspiring. I hope that you will use this time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future. I hope that you will embrace the end of the year as an opportunity for growth and joy.
What are you grateful for this year? What are your goals for the next year? How do you plan to achieve them? Share your thoughts and comments below. I would love to hear from you. Thank you for reading and happy new year!
