Is it good to make end of year balance sheets

We reach the end of 2023, and we hear about balances. What do we mean by this? Is it significantly necessary to do so?

In organizations, companies, or other workspaces, administrative balances and activities undertaken are carried out, to promote better results for the following year. Can this same apply to the personal? 

If you have already carried out this task in previous years, or if you want to do it for the first time, we propose some reflections. Firstly, remember that it is an exercise whose modality should not require strict guidelines, the point is in the way of carrying it out, as a transformative tool, and not its opposite... 

We could put the term balance in question since when we speak from that place, we condition a moment of examination, fair and exact evaluation to the way of entry and exit of an accounting sheet. Therefore, it is better to think of it as a reading and summary of the year experienced.

Balance could also refer to a scale, like that of justice, where each end of it must have an equitable distribution of weight so that it remains in balance. But life is more complex to think about it that way.

On the other hand, although the calendar year provides us with a particular time system, it poses a duty to do based on that logic. Should all objectives begin and be achieved in one year? Have all the learned behaviors and achievements throughout our lives been achieved in 12 months?

Do not forget that each goal we set has its processes, some can be achieved in that time, others will require greater effort. To do this, ask yourself: What actions do I support so that this goal is being achieved?

The summary of the year experienced can be done by reviewing the scope that had been projected for the year that is going, as well as the attitudes and dispositions that we have had, both for said plans and in the interaction with our relationships (intimate, work or social environment). of other social spaces that we inhabit)

And when is the time to devote attention to the year's reading? This deserves to be contemplated. Mainly because we are facing the last days of the month, where the rush to finalize details, procedures, and closures usually arouses some concern. So, look for a favorable environment, knowing that you will need your own time to do it. Even the first months of the year can also be a time to practice this tool.

Think and remember all the events that happened, without judging them, or applying the dimension of “important or unimportant”, all situations are valid for your summary. In the first stage, focus simply on recording, later you can direct the focus on reading each element.

The way of doing it can also be very personal, whether in a more usual way, as notes, tables, lists, or... through artistic variables, such as a poem, an essay, a drawing with words, a collage, or even a song! Do it with freedom.

On the other hand, in addition to locating the appropriate time and space, you can also choose to do it alone, with other people, or professionally in the office. It may be that the joint assembly allows us to provide data that we are not observing, and helps to cushion the feelings that arise.

To do this activity, tolerance for frustration and waiting for that which has not yet appeared is necessary. That is why, do not limit yourself only to what has not been achieved, but also to the scenarios that could have occurred.

Once the first part of the record is completed, the detailed analysis stage begins. If in previous years you made other summaries, it will be useful for you to return to it for a better review.

Pay attention to the reactions that this process awakens, particularly if unattained objectives emerge. From here, it is time to be honest and evaluate what stopped you from doing it. 

As an example, a student who did not achieve regularity in all subjects and accumulated others to retake. At that point, comparisons tend to overwhelm since they focus on the effect and not the multiplicity of causes that led to that situation.

That is, if what you wanted did not materialize, do you give yourself another chance, or do you stop along the way? By evaluating the causes that hinder a goal, you can better investigate the points to work on. Continuing with the example, perhaps a student took a subject out of fear of taking it, or did not have time to study for other priority reasons. Take a step back, to look at the situation as a whole.

Given what has not yet been specified, a chain of factors that hinder that possibility can be put together, to take action. Pointing out the learning that has emerged from these events, along with the ways to confront it.

Then, reaching the end, you could finish completing the task, focusing on the goals for the next year. InTorevent possible disappointments, ask yourself: Is this goal a project of mine or someone else's? Let's remember that social and family mandates tend to urge certain scenarios of what “should be,” depending on the age and context in which we live. that we situate ourselves.

Aim for goals that will impart well-being, whose work to achieve is real and possible, for this particular period. Once these projects have been captured, analyze what actions must be undertaken to carry them out. To which, our commitment to that objective will be necessary.

As for the number of goals, it can serve as encouragement to determine a possible amount according to our resources to achieve it. It could happen that, in the fervor of designing plans, we write down many tasks, to which we will not be able to dedicate full energy to each one in particular, because they are very comprehensive.

Start small, also promoting short-term goals, which encourages us to continue setting new objectives throughout the next year.

In short, as long as it is healthy and enriching to make a ''summary of the year we have experienced'', let's go for it. Aiming at the necessary self-care, so that it is not a discouraging experience, it is a stage of the year that already involves exhausting movements.

However, the idea that a year is ending, nd that there are still things to face, can cause an increase in displeasure with unfavorable reactions. On the other hand, a new year that begins places us before a cyclicality, in the possibility of new strategies to adapt to the situations that arise.

In any case, it would be convenient to review the idea that one-year ends, and the next one will bring absolute changes. As if come 12/31 we could get a chip, and change it for the 2023 chip, like machines, and install all the positivity applications we want. The changes are gradual, and require a set of steps; some experiences and situations will remain constant, and others can be remodeled to create another state.

If you choose to work, in a psychotherapeutic office space, on the elaboration of these processes and emotions that appear during the development of projects, you can make a consultation on our Psyalive platform. We will be happy to help you.