With the year coming to an end, I think that it’s so important to reflect on your successes and achievements, even if the year didn’t give you every single thing you hoped for.

Reflecting on your year’s successes and achievements is a way of acknowledging your growth, your hard work, and your dedication to all facets of your life.

Each thing that went well in your year is a glow. Or you can call it gain or a gem.

I first heard of “glows” last school year during an observation of one of my lessons. My coach left me a list of 2 “glows” and 1 “grow” written on post-it notes after she observed me teach.

I’d never heard of glows and grows, so I was curious to learn what she was talking about.

It turned out that the “glows” were 2 things that’d gone well over the course of the lesson. The “grow” was one thing I could improve on. 

I thought, this is neat! Believe it or not, I can sometimes be a Negative Nancy, so it helped to know that I’d done 2 things well.

It helps to be reminded that even though some things still need growth in your life, other things are already going well.

Acknowledge those things that are going well in your life instead of being hard on yourself or instead of letting yourself drown in moments of hopelessness.

What are the things that are flowing in your life?What have you overcome? What have you learned?

Whether you call it a gain, a glow, or a gem, celebrate all of those things that went well this year: light-bulb moments, experiences of success, and moments that brought you joy.