Your Career: Getting more from your year-end review
It’s the end of the year-- year end review time--time to reflect and dream about making some big and small swings for next year and beyond. To get there, I try not to just think about the future, but take stock of my bumps, lessons and small pleasures of the year. But getting the most out of my introspection can be tricky. Too much navel gazing and I risk falling into a one dimensional view lacking context, and too much focus on what others think and I risk losing my voice and my way.
Work? Personal? One thing I’ve realized is how normal it is to focus on work reviews. We do 360s. We sit down regularly (hopefully) to discuss our accomplishments, performance and development goals. How often do we follow the same model with family and friends— embracing reflection in our personal life as well? What was the year like? What were the bumps, highs and lows, and lessons?
The newsletter. Here’s an approach. Write a (journal entry) newsletter to people about your life last year. Then read it and explore. What are you proudest of? What do you wish were there that isn’t? What bums you out that you wish wasn’t in your timeline? Look at a calendar and write it from the heart. And then reflect on what you shared. I do this exercise and then notice small and large things.
Friendly feedback. Feedback is a gift, but asking for it is often a challenge. And asking loved ones for feedback can feel strange. So one thing I try to do is say, what do you need? This question is simple, and has opened up so much. In my case I have a friend who I adore who lives far away. We got together and had a fun weekend together, but I knew I was probably missing lots of good friend supportive moments because of the distance. I asked the question, and it opened up a conversation that helped me think about how I could be a better friend despite the distance between us.
I hope each of you takes time to invest in the people and relationships that mean the most. Have fun reflecting not just as an individual, but with the people who mean the most to you. Wishing lots of love to everyone!
