And just like that… the end of 2022 is nearly upon us!
Perhaps you already choose to dedicate time to reflect on the year that’s just passed. Or maybe you use a New Year’s resolution to focus on personal or professional growth.
Whichever camp you fall into, this time of the year is an ideal opportunity to take some time to sit down and evaluate what went well, what wasn’t a hit, and how you want to be successful in the coming year.
In this blog, I’ll show you five questions you can ask yourself to gain real insight and create a plan for making 2023 your best one yet. Grab a cuppa, and let’s jump straight in!
What did I smash?
Somehow, it seems easier for us to examine our negative traits, but we often forget to look at what we’ve excelled at! Last month, I wrote a blog around this too. If you want to learn more, you can find it here.
As you look back over 2022, think about your wins and all the times you were pleased with what you achieved. Then you can drill down into that success and determine why it was important.
For example, a career success could be exceeding your KPI’s in your sales role. This may have been significant to you because the market was tough, so you needed to be adaptable and resilient to ensure your hard work paid off.
What other positive steps or behaviours got you there?
- It may have been a SMART target
- A clear action plan; or
- Focussing on your existing client relationships
Pat yourself on the back and commit to identifying AND using your strengths to drive your career forward in 2023.
What didn’t go so well?
This question can conjure up negative feelings, and you may not want to revisit some of the trickier parts of your year. But it’s important to embark on this with honesty, clarity, and openness so you can continue to grow professionally and personally.
First and foremost, it’s important to note that 2022 hasn’t been a walk in the park! At the start of the year, COVID still provided tremendous uncertainty, and plans were affected left, right and centre. A two-year global pandemic has profoundly affected us, whether we fully realise it or not.
We also saw the start of the war in Ukraine, an ever-changing political landscape, a crippling budget and soaring inflation.
I don’t want to be all doom and gloom, but it’s been another challenging year for us all, and I think we need to acknowledge this as part of the process.
There will always be challenges and disappointments, but instead of sweeping them under the carpet, you can examine them and try to pinpoint what happened. Sit with how you really felt about it, and then think about how you can prevent it from happening again or how you can deal with it more productively next time.
What did I learn as a person?
Some people are naturally self-aware and can easily see where they’re growing and where there are still gaps to plug to get them to the next level.
Others may need a few pointers to help them see where they are and what they’ve achieved over the last 12 months.
To think about how you grew as a person in 2022, list the following:
- Internal or external training courses you completed
- New projects you’ve been involved in
- Skills you’ve learned
- What you’ve learnt about yourself and your preferred working/collaboration style
Are there other areas of your personal or professional life you’d like to work on? If so, can you create some targets and action plans to achieve these?
Now we’ve looked at how to effectively review 2022, let’s look forward to 2023!
1. What career goals do you want to set for 2023?
Milestones are great for overcoming stagnation and boredom! They also help us move step by step towards our ultimate goals. Whether that’s getting a promotion, setting up a new business, moving into leadership and management, or changing career altogether.
What goals will you be setting yourself for 2023?
2. What negative habits should I quit, and which positive practices should I adopt in 2023?
Maybe you decided that homeworking allows you to build more fresh air and exercise into your working week. This has undoubtedly positively affected your mental and physical health, stress levels and productivity. You’ll probably want to commit to maintaining this habit in 2023.
On the flip side, maybe homeworking has blurred the separation between work and home life, and you find yourself logging on too early and logging off way too late at night. You may want to set stricter ‘rules’ on when your day starts and ends, so you can improve your work-life balance and ease some of the stress and strain you’ve been feeling.
Whatever they may be, it’s helpful to look at the positive habits pushing you forward and the negative ones that may be holding you back from your goals.
3. Who can I rely on to keep me accountable in 2023?
We’ve all started a new year with grand ambitions of getting more out of our gym memberships or starting that qualification we’ve always dreamed of. Before we know it though, we’re making excuses for ourselves and putting obstacles in the way, so we don’t have to push ourselves out of our comfort zones.
It’s time to stop!
Our goals will only become a reality if we implement some form of accountability. This could be writing down your goals and regularly checking in to see how much progress you’re making. You could discuss your plans with friends and family, so they hold you accountable throughout the year. Or you could choose to work with a coach like me!
Good luck with your end-of-year reflection, and if you’d like to find out how we can work together in the new year, let’s have a virtual coffee and a chat.
It would also be great to connect with you on LinkedIn and Facebook.
