Year end is a great time for review and self-reflection. While we often consider this as a time to think about others, it’s also important to take some time to think about yourself. What have you achieved? Are you on track to reach your goals? How are you going to use and continue to build on what you’ve learned so far?
Before we finish 2019 and embark on the new decade, I encourage you to set aside some time to reflect on what you’ve achieved and what you’ve learned, and how you will incorporate that into your plan for the future.
Find a quiet place, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, a pen and notebook and think through the past year, or if you like, the past decade. Here are some self-reflection questions to get you started.
-What was my greatest accomplishment this year?
-What was the most important thing I learned?
-What was a challenge I overcame, and how did I do it?
-What was a new skill(s) I developed?
-Was there an area of my life I neglected (e.g., too much work and not enough play)?
-Am I making progress toward my goals?
-Does my work, my employer, my life align with my values?
Based on your responses to these questions, identify at least one thing you’re going to STOP doing, one thing you’re going to START doing, and one thing you’re going to CONTINUE doing. Write them down. Assign a date. And post your list somewhere you can refer to it often.
Too often we rush into planning for the future without taking the time to reflect on what we’ve learned from the past.
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” – Margaret J. Wheatley
Till next time,
Karen
