The Advent Journal For Reflection and Growth
As the year draws to a close, spend some time each day focusing on the things that matter to you with an Advent Journal. Each day for the next 25 days you will focus on a topic and spend between 5-10 minutes reflecting and writing. The Advent Calendar is broken into four periods or processes with three lasting a week. The first three weeks are devoted to
Reflection on the past year
Clarification of present values
Creation of intentions for the next year
The final four days are devoted to gratitude and celebration.
In this cycle of 25 days, the purpose is to emerge with a sense of where you’ve come and how your actions and decisions have led you to the present point and then to open to the possibilities of the future while remaining grounded and grateful for the present.
Lots of Advent Calendars
I came up with this idea when my son got our dog Jackson an Advent Calendar from Trader Joe’s with little chicken jerky treats behind 25 paper doors. Cute. And of course, I’m no stranger to the chocolate Advent Calendars we got for the kids. Looking at Amazon, there are over 7000 entries for Advent Calendars. There is an Old and Rare Whiskey Calendar ($1344), a Dr. Barbara Sturm Beauty Products Calendar ($560) and even a Sex Advent Calendar (for Couples) described as “24 sexual challenges and erotic games for adults to create a spicy atmosphere” ($13.99). I am happy that my son did not get that for our dog.
And then, being Advent, there is a selection of Religious Calendars. And being Amazon there are categories including Religious, Religious Adults, Religious Kids, With Candy, With Chocolate, With Gourmet Chocolate, and one for Religious dogs.
There is a practice in Japan to greet the new year called Oosouji or “the big clean.” First, I need to point out that you can’t get more Japanese than celebrating something by cleaning. During Oosouji, everyone helps by thoroughly cleaning the entire house. You move the furniture and dust behind it. You separate what is useful from what no longer is useful and you donate or discard the latter (Seiri, in Japanese).
I thought of the Advent Journaling process like this. First there is a period of reflection. What have I done this year? Second there is a sense of ordering and retaining and discarding. What is good? What is my code or my reason for living? Third, there is the creation of intention moving forward. What do I want to be? How do I want to live my life? Finally, there is time for quiet, appreciation and gratitude.
There is another Japanese concept I have to include here because it is central to this process. The term “Ma” is the space between things. But it can also refer to the empty time between activities, or the empty space between one thought and another or one feeling and another. The emptiness gives form its meaning. In Judaism, we have the Sabbath. A pause. A mandatory sacred time to stop. Now, in our world with endless cycles of news, and emails, texts, and messages bombarding us, we must make a conscious decision to uncouple. That is why on the seventh day of each cycle I have included time to journal freely. To write about anything you want. Or to write as little as you want or even not at all. And in the final week, there are multiple days for this.
How to Use the Journal
Choose a consistent time
Set a small ritual (tea, candle, quiet place)
Keep entries short — 5–10 minutes really is enough
Don’t judge what you write
If you miss a day, don’t worry about it. I would suggest just make some very brief notes on the topic and move on. It’s totally ok to:
Shuffle days
Combine days
Spread it beyond Advent if December is madness
Adding drawings, mind maps, scraps, photos
(It’s your reflection process, you own it!)
Week One - Time to Look Backwards
Day 1 - (Admittedly not really looking backwards yet). What do YOU hope this journal process will do for you? What do you expect you will write about?
Day 2- Take some time to look through your calendar and journals and notebooks. What were 2-5 of this year’s highlights?
Day 3- How did you spend most of your time this year? Was it at work? With family or alone? What activities did you do?
Day 4 - Where did you spend your time this year? Was it all at home or did your travel? Where and for how long?
Day 5- How would you describe your health and fitness this year? Were there any periods of sickness or time in the hospital? Were you able to accomplish any athletic or fitness goals?
Day 6 - How would you describe your career or primary form of productivity? Are you pleased with your work? Were there any significant wins or setbacks?
Day 7 - Take time to write about anything you want to. Write as much or as little as you care to. Today is a day of Ma. A pause. So maybe don’t write at all.
Week 2 - Looking in the Mirror Now.
Day 8 - In what way are you satisfied and dissatisfied with yourself? Have you become closer or further this year to the person you want to be? In what ways?
Day 9- What is important to you? Review Day 4’s entry of how you spent your time. Consider what is important to you. What should you be spending your time on?
Day 10- What fills your cup? Looking back on the year, identify the sources of strength and support and what made you feel good and well. What are your best habits?
Day 11 - What/who is toxic? What drained you? What around you makes you feel exhausted? Who is hardest to deal with? What is hardest for you? What do you do that is bad for you?
Day 12 - What are your core values? What are the characteristics of a person that make him valuable? What makes life good? What are the adjectives you want to use to describe yourself?
Day 13 - What is your Code? Can you write a succinct mission statement that describes your core values and how you want to live your life?
Day 14 - Take time to write about anything you want to. Write as much or as little as you care to. Or even not at all.
Week 3 - Looking Forward
Day 15 - Review what you have read so far. What specific actions do you want to perform this year? What outcomes do you want to see?
Day 16 - What is your why? Why do you want the outcomes in Day 15 to happen? How will it make you, others and the world better? Keep asking why until you feel like you understand your actual motivation for change.
Day 17 - Why would it be horrible to fail? Before the feel-good dopamine circuits kick in, take a moment to reflect on how you would feel if you failed to make the changes of Day 15. Remember what you are working for but also what you are working to avoid.
Day 18- For each action or goal you created in Day 15, or anytime in this process, create a Next Action. What is the next concrete step you can take that will tell you that you have moved in the right direction.
Day 19 - Write the actions you can accomplish on each goal or project that can be completed in the next 2-3 weeks.
Day 20 - Take one action and write about how it made you feel.
Day 21 - Take time to write about anything you want to. Write as much or as little as you care to. Or even not at all.
Week 4- Gratitude and Celebration
Day 22 - List the people, events, and things this year that you are grateful for
Day 23 - Take time to write about anything you want to. Write as much or as little as you care to. Or even not at all.
Day 24 - Take time to say goodbye to people that have passed away, moved away, or left you. Say goodbye to situations you are no longer in. Thank objects that have served you well but are ready to leave your life. This is a particularly auspicious time to give things away or recycle them or if appropriate, discard them.
Day 25 - Start by being silent. Then welcome what is to come. Both what you have intended but also what destiny is planning for you. Create the intention to greet it with an open heart, warmth and love.
QUESTIONS/INVITATION
Do you have a ritual that you observe at the end of the year?
Do you incorporate some aspect of Oosouji?
Would you add or modify this process? This is my first go at this and I’d welcome your input! If you do this or a similar process, please share how it went.