It's almost the end of the year, granted we only have one month left, but still the year is coming to an end. Christmas will be here in about a month and everyone, whether they celebrate it or not, will be in a joyful mood. Most importantly it's the beginning of a transition into a new year full of new adventures, new people, and new opportunities.

While most people have just spring cleaning, I like to clean during the winter too. Not really physically, but at least mentally. Winter is a reflective season, it's a time that brings people back from whatever has happened in the past year. It allows us to stop, reconnect and then prepare for the upcoming year. Okay so maybe it's not quite winter and we still have a month to go, but it's the turning point at least.

As we approach this season of reflection, I want to leave some tips for those who want to clean their mental junk for the next year.

First off, take some time before the year ends to right down a few answers to the following questions. What went right this year? What were some challenges? If you overcame them, how did those challenges make you better? If you didn't overcome the challenges, what can you do next time to overcome them? Who do you care about and who was there to support you in your life? Most importantly ask yourself How did I become a better me? These questions will help you reflect on this past year and see how your life has changed. If you find that you didn't like how things went, find out how the next year can be better.

Once you thought through the last year start writing list for the next year. What are you looking forward to? Who do you want to support and how can that help you be the best you, you can be? What do you want to accomplish and how is that going to affect you and the world around you? It's important to think about how next year will go, but overall these questions are just to help you think about who you want to be and what you want to do. You don't have to start acting on them until next year, but it's good to start thinking.

It's important to clear away the mental junk from this year, but to also stay in the present. With a clear head you can tackle a lot and prepare a good way for the present and for the future.