2011 Pre-Mortem - An Exercise to Prepare for the New Year

Most people are familiar with a post-mortem examination that is completed when a person has died.  A post-mortem examination is done with the same care that would be used in an operation. It includes an external and an internal examination of the individual’s shell (body).  The purpose is generally to determine the cause of death, to determine what organs may have shut down, what areas of the body and mind finally got tired and stopped working.  Or if a trauma has happened what part of the individual died first. 

Recently in my work I attended a series of meetings with the leadership team of the company I work for.  The purpose of these meetings was to help the leader’s determine the important strategic objectives for the coming year.  The meeting methodology was fascinating to me, instead of a SWOT approach typically taken to analyze the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats a “pre-mortem” approach was used.  The business results were extremely powerful to the team as they looked at what needed to happen in order to be in a “positive” position in the next two years.

Drawing from that experience I began to think about how I might use that approach to “wind in” to the New Year.  I got excited because for me making resolutions or even intentions has not increased my trajectory into a long term view.  This year I decided to conduct a “pre-mortem” on my life.  Here is what I did.  I sat down and wrote out two scenarios, one that had positive outcomes and one that had negative.  I share this in hopes you might find this same exercise valuable on this last day of 2010.  It is written sort of as an out of body experience, which could be what made it so powerful for me.

Pre-Mortem – Positive Outcome

Today is December 31, 2011, you are sitting quietly candles lit, lights dim thinking back over the last 365 days.  You are at peace; the last year has been amazing.  You feel you have grown leaps and bounds over where you were last year.  You have encountered some difficult challenges but through all of them you have been able to find the lesson in them and feel like maybe, just maybe you have finally learned what you needed to.  You have let go of anything that no longer serves the highest vision of you.   The contribution you have made to your work (employed or other) has been rewarding.  This reward may or may not have been financial, but when you think of the contribution you feel inspired to do more of it in the coming year, because you recognize it as the sacred contract you came to fulfill.  You started on a path last year to live in health,  in body mind and spirit.  This has paid off as you look in your eyes you see brightness, the whites of your eyes gleam, and your skin is radiant.  You have let go of some obsessive patterns that were long overdue to be dismissed.  You have had a conscious spiritual practice each day of being present for those around you, both in work, with friends and family.  Your body has responded well to the shift in lifestyle, the new approach to “feeding yourself” has had remarkable results; you are lean, strong and resilient. 

Emotionally this year you realized your worth, value, and have allowed yourself to accept your strengths and practice more of those and laugh at your weaknesses…and find joy in both.  Your relationships have blossomed.  The process of hibernation you went through has paid off; you have more energy now than you did when you were 40.  The prospect of true love, yes the romantic kind is no longer a prospect but a reality, and it was worth the wait.

Pre-Mortem - Negative

Today is December 31, 2011, you are sitting quietly candles lit, lights dim thinking back over the last 365 days.  The year has been a disaster.  Everything you hoped for has seemingly slipped through your fingers.  It seems as if you are in the same rut you started in this year.  You began the year with all the right ideas and plans, but as you let life begin to live you.  You watched as things were happening around you but chose to stay in the same pattern that felt comfortable. Everything in life is pretty much the same.  You don’t complain about things outwardly, but you continue to live in the same quiet desperation, waiting, hoping that something external will come along and change the situation.  You have noticed that you look old this year, tired, less vibrant and that is ok, after all you are 56.  Your body is weaker, and your spirit is suppressed.  All that you thought would happen this year has, and as you put the pen down you realize that you created it all.  As you write this you find you are tired, defeated and resolved to live this life.  And you ask yourself “why bother” to look at next year because it will be the same, of that you are convinced.

So what is the point of these two exercises?  It would be my hope it is obvious, that enthusiasm, excitement, synergy and a passion for life exudes from the first example.  While I was writing I noticed that I didn’t even want to complete the negative outcomes.  I got tired just thinking that it could be like that!

What should you do with this?  I would invite you to engage in the same process.  While you are doing it notice how you feel, pay attention to the string of things that flow when you are in a positive energy position.  Begin to think about what the next 365 days will look like as you move toward the end of the year.  When I finished this I realized that in my own way I had created a new pathway in my brain that would respond when I chose to get in that rut.  I have some good ideas on what I need to do and be in order to sit quietly next year at this time and celebrate.  Happy New Year, may you have a bright vision for the upcoming days.