This doesn’t take a lot of time but it will surprise you! And it will definitely launch your success for the upcoming year.
I was thinking about the ways that I fell short of some goals, lost my way and confused myself during the year, and overall I wasn’t feeling great about the progress I made.
Until I objectively looked at my year.
It’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness and stress of the end of the year, but dedicating some quality time to give yourself a high-level overview of the past 12 months is really important. We need to adjust our sites and see clearly. This activity is a great way of doing that.
Dedicate at least 20 minutes (you might not need that much) of quiet time when no one will interrupt you. If you have a notebook in your shower, that might be the best time and place!
I did this while my kids were napping.
Step 1:
List your Successes for the past year. Everything! Family, work, business, fitness, finances, spiritual, relationships, time management, personal development… Don’t overthink it or allow yourself to qualify it with “but I didn’t get as far as I wanted to…” Just write it down.
Honestly, I was surprised by how many successes I had. My disappointment was that they weren’t in the areas where I wanted to see success. But…they were the areas I needed growth, right now.
Step 2:
List your Not-So-Successes for the past year. This isn’t a pity party so keep it objective. What didn’t go as well as you hoped/planned for it to go?
Step 3:
Give the previous year a theme. My theme for 2014 was “My Year of Personal Growth.” And that’s no lie! God has been raking some ugliness out of me. All. Year. Long. And even though there have been some tough times, it’s been really good for me, my family, my relationships, and my business.
Then describe what that means to you in 2-3 high-level sentences. Think big picture here – we’re not getting into the weeds.
Step 4:
Give the upcoming year a theme and 2-3 high-level sentences to describe it. Again, we’re not getting into the weeds, but this will prepare you for your 2015 goals. Overall, what do you want to focus on for the coming year? What do you want it to be about? What kind of progress are you excited to be making?
Now you have a launch pad for your 2015 success!
Share your themes with a friend, spouse, or accountability partner. Then get ready to goal-set!