Each minute of our life is a lesson but most of us fail to read it. I thought I would just add my daily lessons & the lessons that I learned by seeing the people around here. So it may be useful for you and as memories for me.
As we approach the end of the year and plan for a new one to begin, most of us enter a phase of reflection. We assess the goals we set to achieve throughout the year. We look at the highs and lows we faced over the past months. We see the things we did do, what we never had a chance to do, and the things that happened organically that we never expected.
The year 2022 was supposed to be a great year. It is the first first full year after Covid Pandemic.This year has been one, never-ending road. It’s had some straights and has been filled with hairpin bends, but the final corner is coming up.
Do a quick year-end review.
Write down everything that went right with your year. There were probably some good moments. Highlighting them can help you package 2022 up and swiftly move on.
Maybe you graduated, landed a new/better job, welcomed a baby into the world, adopted a new pet, or quit a bad habit. Those are all amazing victories! Celebrate them! Take yourself out on a date, buy yourself something pretty, or do a little victory dance in your living room.
I just want you to look back over the last year and think about three things that people smarter than me have been thinking about for decades: What do I want to start doing? What do I want to stop doing? What do I want to keep doing? As you reflect on the year, what’s something new you want to try? What’s something old you want to stop? What’s something great you want to keep doing?
Don’t beat yourself up.
You might have set ambitious goals for yourself at the start of the year that you now realize you’re not close to reaching as the year comes to a close. Hey, it’s okay! We can’t always reach every single goal we set for ourselves.
Assess why you didn’t reach your goal(s). Maybe you needed more time? If so, extend it as a resolution for next year! Maybe it was too ambitious? If yes, consider adjusting it to be a more realistic goal.
There’s no need to harp on yourself for failing at something. Failure does not define you. It’s part of life. Learn from it, grow from it, and move forward.
Make Adjustments, If Needed
As you reassess your goals, adjust them if it makes sense. Try to ensure all goals are SMART : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time specific. If you decide to be a little bolder with your goal setting, also be realistic about what you can do well—or at all—given the time you have between now and year-end.
If overwhelm starts to occur, take it down a notch by asking yourself and a trusted colleague “If this goal is going to happen by year end, how can I most easily make that happen?” By talking through the solution with someone else, you may be able to find solutions that would not have come up otherwise.
End the year with generosity
One of my goals is to be as generous as the portions of fries they give you at Five Guys. Have you ever ordered their fries? That cup overfloweth! Sometimes, in the midst of a busy year, I’ve overlooked opportunities to be both grateful and generous.
As I review the last 12 months, I always discover reasons to be grateful. I notice good things that I missed the first time around because I was hustling so fast. This gratefulness then tends to turn into generosity, as I look for new ways to pass on the gifts that have been passed on to me.
Gratefulness changes me. Generosity changes the world.
Ask a friend one small question.
The end of the year can be stressful for a lot of people. There’s family drama, year-end work projects, holiday expectations, and a swirl of other emotions stacked into this season. Reach out to one friend and ask this question: “Is there anything you need?”
Why does asking this question matter? Because when you ask someone what they need, they become visible and valuable. That’s what everyone in your life wants to know. “Do you see me? Do I matter?” A little question like that can have a significant impact, especially after a stressful year. Crisis magnifies kindness. The small things you do for your relationships this season are worth 100 times what they were two years ago because we’ve all been so isolated. Ask that one small question and then don’t be surprised if it leads to a big conversation.
Get Clear On What You Will STOP Doing
As you are put together a clear plan to reach your goals, be as clear about what you will stop doing as what you will start doing…especially if you have a tendency to try and do too much!
Remember Your Self-Care
For peak performance as you end the year, schedule planned rest periods. “All work and no play is not the true champion’s way.”
Unless you stay physically and mentally strong through year end, achieving your goals won’t mean much. And stress can derail even the best of efforts and intentions.
But, Don’t Forget to Have Fun
By refocusing your efforts, you may be able to achieve significant progress on a couple of key initiatives, rather than finishing the year with a stack of unfinished business. It will make the end of the year a time for celebration, rather than a calm environment before a chaotic return to work.
With all of that being said, perhaps the best way to end the year is to celebrate. Although there isn’t much to celebrate, there is joy in knowing this awful year is coming to an end.
Set the Stage for Next Year
As long as you live, there will always be a next year to do things differently. A new chapter. A new blank canvas to draw on.
Whatever metaphor works for you, own it and make it yours. Learn from this year and turn your disappointments into action items to take into the new year.
We don’t have to own the negatives or carry them with us any longer. If something doesn’t serve you, set it free. Vow to make next year better in whatever way(s) you can. Create a plan that is actionable and realistic. Even if you end up straying from it, it’s better to create a road map that you can aim for and hope for the best.
Focus on the four components every great goal requires.
The goal nerd in me can’t help it. I can’t end this list without giving you a set of specific tools. Goals are not complex. They always involve the same four components: results, actions, time, and motivation.
Results are what you flirted with in item number four on our list. What do you want to accomplish? Actions are the physical steps you’ll take to make those results happen. What will you do? Time is everything from the deadline you pick to finish your results to the hours you plan to invest. Motivation is the fuel, fire, passion, or drive that will keep you going way beyond January 1. Most people are okay at dreaming about results but neglect the other three. We’re not most people though. We finish this last year strong and start the new one even better!
Make actionable goals for the new year on the things that you did not follow through with. Set new goals and achieve them in the coming months. Life is a journey, not a checklist. You can’t do everything or be everything all at once. Take it day-by-day.
“If you’re not working hard, ideas don’t matter. The best idea is worthless without execution.
If you’re already working hard, ideas are crucial. Most effort is wasted on mediocre ideas.”
Don’t over-improve your weaknesses. If you’re not good at something, work on it until it no longer prevents your progress, but the bulk of your time is better spent maximizing your strengths.
You’ll see the progress unfolding as time goes by. Trust me, your year was not as horrible as you think it was. End it on a high note!
I hope you had a wonderful 2022. It’s not over yet though — you’ve still got a chance to finish strong. When you do, let me know how it went. Hopefully, your end of year reflection is full of positives, even among the negatives. You can find me online in all your favorite places LinkedIn and Facebook. Shoot me a DM, a tweet, a comment, or whatever works best for you. I’ll be the one trying to figure out how to read books and get better at playing ping pong at the same time.
Thoughts To Inspire 