Naikan Year-End Reflection

 Gregg Krech on Year-end Reflection

So I encourage you to take time and PAUSE and reflect on the year that is ending, before jumping into the New Year.   It can help us to honor the past year and to bring our best selves to the new year.  The following suggestions are adapted from Naikan: Gratitude, Grace & the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection (Stone Bridge Press) by Gregg Krech – (p.172-175)

1. Reflect on your mother, father or other people who have supported you during the past year. You may have received things during an earlier time period, but still benefited from them during this past year.  

2. Do Naikan reflection on someone with whom you’ve had difficulty, conflict, or tension during the past year. This can be challenging, since we all have our stories in place.  Sincere reflection allows you to challenge and modify your story.  It may soften your heart, which can allow for something new to occur.

The basic format of Naikan reflection is simple:  Select a specific person for a specific time period. Consider the following questions, spending 45-60 minutes for each period.  It can be helpful to capture your answers on paper.

– What did I receive from _____?

– What did I give to _______?

– What troubles or difficulties did I cause ______?

3. Reflect on your unfinished business.  What important work or projects have been left undone?  What important matters need resolution?  What important relationships need attention?

4. Make a list of up to fifty things/services you’ve received this past year without providing any compensation or consideration. These could be things you received as gifts, things you had access to for free, things you borrowed or stole, or things you used without payment.

5. Write thank-you letters to those who have supported you this past year. Be specific about why you appreciate their support. End the year by thanking others for their support, which allows them to start the year by knowing your gratitude for their efforts.

Don’t try to resolve your reflections and tie them into a tidy package of goals or resolutions. Just sit with the questions and consider your life and your conduct this past year. Sit quietly with your reflections  before you come to any conclusions about what needs to be done in the coming year.

Earlier this year he wrote about reflections with his wife:

1. What are the most important and meaningful things for us to do while we still have reasonably good health?
2. How do we make sure our work with the ToDo Institute and Japanese Psychology will continue after we are gone?
3. If we both die soon, what arrangements do we need to make for Betty’s care? (our puppy)
4. If either of us die soon, how and where would the other person live?
5. What are the biggest threats to our quality of life and how do we minimize them?
6. How do we sustain close relationships with the people in our lives whom we cherish?