Ah, the holidays. We’re looking at the end of the calendar year (amidst all the business that the holiday season brings) and in the mad dash toward the new year starting just around the corner.
It’s important to take a moment to reflect: Did you do all you wanted this year?
Here are a few things to ponder as we wrap up 2022 and get ready for 2023:
Did I learn all I wanted to learn this year?
Learning means growing. Whether that’s taking an online course to learn a new skill or brush up on an existing one or participating in a workshop to become certified in a new program or software to advance your knowledge, there are so many opportunities to learn. If you set a goal of learning three new things this year but only learned one or two, make a note of it and try to commit to trying harder in the year ahead.
What would I change?
If given the opportunity to change one thing that happened this year, what would it be and why? What would you do differently? Why is that the item you would change, and why would the redo work out better than the way things did this time around? Learn from that: if it’s a matter of trusting your instincts, that’s a hard skill to learn but very worthwhile. If it’s a matter of asking one more question, build up your confidence in doing just that.
What was my biggest accomplishment or proudest moment?
Take some time to think about all you’ve done this year. List them out if you need to. Consider how you’ve grown and how you’ve improved in the past year, even if it’s in ways that would not be obvious to everyone. What made you happy about your work this year? Congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come!
How was I challenged to grow?
Every year has some moments of stress and turbulence. Every team will have some disagreements. How did you respond to those moments? How did you move forward? What did you take from them, and what did you learn?
Am I still happy in this position?
This can be a loaded question for some. But it’s worth asking: Do you like your job? Are you happy? If yes, that’s great! But what makes you happy in this position, and is there a way to do more of that next year? If you’re unhappy, frustrated, disappointed, or feel like you can’t continue to learn and grow, it might be time for a change. What better time to make those decisions than on the doorstep of a new year?
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Much like how people think about their resolutions for the year ahead, it’s important to take some time to reflect and evaluate the year behind. We can’t redo our decisions or change what’s in the rearview, but we can learn from the past and make different, better choices in the future.
