My Personal New Year’s Ritual: Reflections Looking Back and Moving Forward
The video below will take you through a personal ritual I have developed over the years, influenced by end-of-year practices shared by other teachers and authors. I encourage you to make this your own, too, adding any reflections or themes that are important to you at this moment.
Click here to view or download a document that describes the End-of-Year Reflection practice and lists all the themes and questions.
Looking for more support for creating positive change in 2021? That’s exactly why I created 40 Days to Positive Change.
Over the past few years, the two most common requests I've received from readers and students have been: 1) A practical, daily program to support change, that builds on the ideas of The Willpower Instinct and The Neuroscience of Change, and 2) More guided meditations to cultivate mindfulness and heartfulness.
40 Days to Positive Change combines both in one audio program. Learn more about the program, and enroll now, at Sounds True.
Each day, I provide a 10- to 15-minute teaching that includes both practical advice for making a positive change in your life, and that leads you through a meditation practice designed to support positive change.
For a limited time, Sounds True is also offering two additional programs as a free gift for those who purchase 40 Days to Positive Change: my own Science of Compassion program, and Rick Hanson's Meditations to Change Your Brain.
Whether the change you are focused on is personal, local, or global, these meditation practices will be a resource for maintaining hope, courage, and connection in challenging times.
You can also listen to me discuss the philosophy and science behind the program with Sounds True founder Tami Simon on the podcast Insights from the Edge.
Want to plant a seed for positive change right now? Listen to this six-minute guided gratitude contemplation from the program, below. In it, I invite you to reflect on someone you are grateful for, someone who is grateful for you, and something you are grateful to yourself for. Research shows that gratitude creates a state of mind and body that supports positive choices in all aspects of your life. A daily gratitude practice can fuel you with the energy, hope, and courage to take action toward your goals.
“Whether it’s exercising every day, devoting yourself fully to a personal project, or establishing a regular meditation practice, this innovative program will provide the scaffolding necessary to instill a positive habit in your life. Drawing upon the latest neuroscientific and behavioral research, 40 Days to Positive Change emphasizes that new habits are built on a foundation of intention, gratitude, joy, loving compassion, and interdependence. Part mentor, part professor, and part coach, McGonigal will guide you in daily practices and lessons to follow through in each of these areas. By the end of this audio journey, you’ll have all the tricks and tools you need to live out your new, better habit without letting it drop by the wayside.” Sounds True
Explore my other audio programs with Sounds True:
The Science of Compassion: A Modern Approach for Cultivating Empathy, Love, and Connection
The Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-Based Program for Personal Transformation