End of Year Closure Series: Part 5
As the year draws to a close, take a moment each day to bring closure to all you’ve experienced in this revolution of the Earth around our Sun. This transitional time offers a powerful opportunity to pause, reflect, and prepare for a fresh start. By focusing on reflection, gratitude, and a mindset of growth, we can turn the end of the year into a meaningful ritual of closure and renewal. In this five-part daily series, we’ll use reflection and intention-setting exercises to settle our minds, appreciate all that we’ve accomplished, acknowledge our opportunities for growth, and prepare for a fresh start.
Missed parts 1 through 4? Read Year-End Closure: Reflect with Clarity and start your closure practice with mindful reflection. Then try Honoring Your Achievements, Big and Small, Growing From Your Challenges, and Letting Go of Unhelpful Patterns before proceeding with this practice.
A Practice to Find Appreciation in the Journey
Gratitude transforms how we see the past. Even in a challenging year, there are moments and people to appreciate. Today, focus on thanking the year for its gifts—the lessons, the opportunities, and the connections that made it meaningful.
Try this:
Gratitude doesn’t erase difficulties; it helps you hold them alongside the joys. Reflect on what made this year special, from the small moments of kindness to the major milestones, and integrate your appreciation for them into your experience of closure for the year. Have a pen or pencil and paper nearby before you start.
Begin in a contemplative posture for reflection: Find a comfortable seat where you feel stable and supported, either on a cushion with crossed legs or in a chair with feet flat on the ground. Sit upright with your spine aligned, imagining a gentle string pulling the top of your head upward. Rest your hands on your thighs or in your lap, relax your shoulders, and let your face soften. Lower your gaze to a neutral point or close your eyes, and bring your attention to your natural breath, allowing it to anchor you in the present.
When you are feeling settled and stable, take up your paper and pen.
- Write a letter of gratitude to the year. Begin with “Dear 2024,” and thank it for the experiences, growth, and connections it brought.
- Mention specific people, moments, or lessons that shaped your journey. Be sure to include gratitude for the lessons you learned and strength you gained in overcoming challenges and obstacles.
- Keep the letter as a personal memento, or share your gratitude with someone who impacted your year. In times of difficulty in the year ahead, read it to yourself to recall the ways you were supported, challenged, and catalyzed to grow in this past year.
Focusing on gratitude, you should be prepared to shift your perspective and carry a sense of abundance into the final day of the year, when you will set fresh intentions.
Want more ideas to help you close our the year and start fresh for the one? Read our guide to recentering and realigning for the new year.
