Taking Stock and Reflecting on the Year: An Annual Ritual
In the consulting business, it’s common practice to facilitate “end of year account reviews” with our key accounts. During these meetings we discuss accomplishments of the past year, things that didn’t go as well, and our client’s strategic goals, initiatives, and leadership strategies for the new year. These meetings are one way to “mark the moment” as we say.
As professionals, we need to do the same thing for ourselves. These end of year (EOY) milestones are a great opportunity to zoom out and take stock of the year. These EOY reviews can provoke reflections and spark planning as we look to the new year.
So here is what we recommend:
- Take a Look Back: Identify what you accomplished this past year that was significant and/or memorable. These could be goals you achieved (personal and professional), experiences you’ve had, milestones you’ve reached, special memories you’ve created. Write 15-20 of these accomplishments as a memo in your phone, or in your journal.
- Identify Your Energy Generators and Degenerators: Make a list of the 10 things that generated the most energy for you, and then list the 10 things that drained energy from you. These could be tasks, goals, people, activities, etc.
- Recognize Your Inner Circle: Identify up to five (5) people who were part of your inner circle this past year and reflect on how they’ve impacted you positively. As we approach the year-end, think of some ways you can express your appreciation – and then do those things before 12/31.
- Reflect on Lessons Learned: Reflect on what you’ve learned this past year and select one of your biggest lessons learned. Write that lesson down and provide some explanations as to why that had an impact on you. Think about how you want to take that learning into the new year.
- Plan for 2025: And lastly, what can you do to prepare for the new year? List the change you want to create for the year ahead. What personal and professional goals will you develop? Who will you surround yourself with? What do you want to be able to say about 2025 at the end of next year? We recommend you do this exercise during the last two weeks of December. Don’t wait until the new year! Be proactive and planful.
To all of you reading this post, thank you for a great 2024 and we wish you continued success into the new year!