2018 has been a challenging year. Divided politics, hate crimes, #MeToo revelations, natural disasters. Even for those who are feeling grounded and in a good place, it is hard not to get emotionally drained by the onslaught of bad news.

2019 is almost here, and we need to prepare ourselves for the energy of the new year. Let’s take a moment to pause, realign, and review the past year so we can release the emotional debris and elevate ourselves for the transition.

We have a world to change, and the change starts with us.

Six months ago, I shared with you the Beacons of Change Mid-Year ReYOU process.

Now, it’s time for the Beacons of Change End of Year ReYOU.

Are you ready to learn the 3 things you should do NOW to end the year strong, focused, and clear?

As Tony Robbins says, Successful people ask better questions, and, as a result, they get better answers.

So we’ll be asking ourselves 3 questions in this process.

Let’s get to work.

1. Celebrate

It is often easier to celebrate the successes of others than it is our own. We easily compliment our children, partners, and friends on a job well done while focusing on our own (perceived) shortcomings. It’s important to honestly evaluate what has not worked, but first, we must celebrate our wins, big and small.

When you allow yourself to celebrate success, you realize how far you’ve come and invite more success into your life.

ASK YOURSELF: What small (and big) wins from the year am I celebrating?

To answer this question, schedule 30 minutes with yourself sometime in the next few days. Go over your calendar (don’t try to do this exercise without it!), starting in January of 2018, and make a list of all your personal celebrations. You’ll be surprised with how many you come up with.

How should you define a celebration? It might be an achievement, such as completing a project or developing a practice. It might be changing a habit, healing a relationship, speaking your truth, or lifting yourself up after an emotional fall. It might be recognizing that you managed a crisis better that you expected or were less reactive than usual to a negative situation. A celebration is anything you are proud of.

2. Cultivate

I love this quote often attributed to French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

What does it look like when we live as spiritual beings? I summarized being spiritual in this article.

Looking back at the year, I’m sure that you can find things you regret, mistakes you’ve made, and memories that disappoint you.

The most painful experience can be turned into an opportunity when you look for the spiritual lesson: What is it that this (challenge, pain, struggle) is here to teach me?

ASK YOURSELF: What spiritual lessons have I learned

So again, with your calendar, look back at the year. But rather than looking for points of celebration, look for points of disappointment. For each disappointment, mistake, or seemingly negative experience, look for the spiritual lesson and write it down.

Here is an example of one thing I regret doing, but it’s very clear to me that it taught me the lesson of self-forgiveness.

You can’t live a happy and healthy life if you carry the weight of resentment on your shoulders, whether it’s intended for yourself or for someone else.

Now, let’s make some room for rejuvenation. It’s time to release the energy that doesn’t serve you, so you don’t carry it with you into the new year.

3. Eliminate

Rumi said, Be like a tree, and let the dead leaves drop.

Trees can teach us a lot about elimination and rejuvenation.

Think about it for a minute: Why do some trees bend but not break in heavy winds, while other trees detach from the ground and fall?

And what happens over time to a tree that was hit by a storm?

What first may look like mortal wounds is actually a process of renewal. Trees have an amazing ability to recover from storm damage.

So do we.

A storm, a crisis, a pain, or a challenge can be the best thing that ever happened to you once you learn the spiritual lesson and turn it into an opportunity.

But the leaves don’t stay on the tree. They drop, and in so doing, they make room for the new leaves to grow.

Identifying the spiritual lesson is not enough. Now you need to let go of the emotions you’re holding on to.

ASK YOURSELF: What disappointment am I willing to let go of before the new year?

Forgiveness is hard, but it is an important spiritual practice. It means that you are willing to stop holding on to resentment and negative emotions that are toxic for you.

22 years of helping people heal has taught me that your body will tell you, through physical symptoms, when suppressed emotions need to be released. There is one crucial thing for you to understand about letting go:

Even when you let go mentally, even when you are willing to forgive, the pain, trauma, or hurt might still be stored in your body.

One of the reasons why the Beacons of Change method is effective at helping people release past pain is that it recognizes the importance of the embodiment of that release.

Do you need support to go deeper?

If you want to do deeper work and release the debris and the pain you carry with you, consider this:

Let me help you.

Years ago, I developed a process for excavating the past hurt and trauma, so you can make room in your body for healing, love, and joy. It is my signature Journey into Your Soul guided visualization.

We will meet via video, and I will take you through the steps of replacing stagnant energy with love and healing. This process of embodied letting go has helped so many women to feel much lighter. When there is space for the new to enter, miracles happen.

Check out the details and apply to take the journey into your soul.

Here’s to your new beginning!