Your Yearly Review

With December here, it’s the perfect time to complete a yearly review of the goals you’ve achieved and where you may have missed the mark.  This yearly review will allow you to celebrate your success of what went right and also acknowledge what didn’t go quite as well so that you can make improvements in the future.  Here are four steps to complete your yearly review to set yourself up for success in the new year.

Lessons Learned

First, write down the lessons that you’ve learned this year.  Think about what your biggest takeaways were from this year.  Usually these lessons are from challenges or difficult times that you’ve faced.  But, it could also just be something new that you’ve learned.  Maybe a new mindset shift of how to think about things and view the world.  It could be a new hobby that you dedicated time to practicing and learning.  Consider what experience and knowledge you gained this year.  See what you have learned that helped you to move forward and achieve success this year.

Celebrate Success

Next, celebrate your success, small milestones, goals you’ve achieved, and all the little wins along the way.  Make a list of your achievements from this year.  Find the moments that you’re most proud of.  Think of the best memories you made with friends and family.  Look back over pictures you’ve taken or social media posts to recall what happened this year.  Create a highlight reel of the best things that occurred this year.

What Went Right

Then, think about what went right in these scenarios.  Maybe that was taking time to be mentally present and to be physically there in the moment.  Perhaps that was keeping your game face on as you pushed through difficult times to overcome challenges.  It could be that you showed up, you were consistent, and stuck to your plan of action.  Pinpoint what you did that led to your success this year.  Decide what worked this year that you want to take with you into the new year.

Improvements To Make

Lastly, figure out what you can improve.  Reflect over what didn’t go quite right and how you could make changes in the future.  Be honest with yourself to hone in on what held you back and where you fell short.  Maybe you found yourself in a negative headspace of fear, worry, and doubt.  This might have led to procrastination and not taking action towards your goals.  Perhaps you didn’t prioritize the tasks related to your goals or you returned to old bad habits.  It could be that life took over and before you realized it, the end of the year was here with little to no progress towards your goal.  Consider how you would respond differently in similar situations that may arise in the future.  Dig deep and uncover what you need to improve or change in order to achieve your goals in the new year. 

This yearly review is full of lessons to learn from.  Think about what went right and celebrate your success from this year.  Next, figure out what you can do differently in the future.  Decide what you want to take with you into the new year.  Then, make a firm decision on what you want to leave behind and let go of that’s no longer working.  Commit to taking what you’ve learned from this yearly review and use it as you move forward into the new year.