Evaluate & Celebrate 2021 to Set Yourself UP for Success in 2022 - Short Exercise

Have you ever made a list of all the things you've done/accomplished throughout the year and evaluated them to see how you did? I was thinking the other day, just like we have a performance review at the end of the year with our managers at work, why wouldn't we do the same for ourselves and our life? So, I decided to give it a try, do a short exercise and see what comes out of it.

So, here's how I did it.

Step 1 - I first identified the 6 most important areas of my life that I want to evaluate. You can use the same areas, or you can choose your own, just don't choose too many, 6 or 7 is more than enough.

The areas I chose: career, health & wellbeing, relationship, family, social life, and finances.

Step 2: On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with each of these areas in 2021?

Rate each of these areas individually and pick a number that first comes to your mind, don't spend a lot of time thinking about what number to choose since your logical thinking will kick in rather than the subconscious mind.

Step 3: What made you rate it that way? Create a list for each of these areas of all the accomplishments you achieved in 2021. And I wouldn't limit myself to just listing accomplishments but things you're grateful for and all the happy moments you had as well. Those things matter even more than the accomplishments.

For example, I rated my family area with 6, and the accomplishments I listed are that I visited them 3 times this year, celebrated birthdays together, and talked a lot. But a big part of that 6 is that they stayed healthy in 2021 despite the pandemic situation we're all facing, which I am so grateful for.

Step 4: Go back to the ratings and compare the numbers you chose with the lists you made. What do you notice? Do the numbers reflect your accomplishments? Would you increase or decrease any of the numbers? Why? What has changed?

I love this step because it shows you how self-critical you are. It increases your confidence and teaches you to celebrate accomplishments no matter how small or big they are.

This showed up for me in my career, which made me realize I'm being too critical and have high expectations of myself instead of celebrating and appreciating everything I've done this year.

Step 5: Now ask yourself what would make it a 10? Then go back and create a list for each of the areas with that in mind.

This step serves as guidance for the goals you want to set for yourself in 2022.

For me, a 10 would be if I could visit my family more often and spend more time with them.

In case you rated any of the areas 10, you can still do all of the steps but for step number 5, ask yourself, "what would make it a 10 next year as well."

If you're still wondering why should I do that and how is this a good use of my time, here's my experience.

When I put on paper everything I accomplished, everything I was grateful for, and all the happy moments in 2021, I was surprised. I realized I underestimated my results in some of the areas. It helped me celebrate everything I have done this year, and showed me the areas I want to focus on in the next one. Above all, it motivated me to pursue my goals and do even more in 2022.

So, here are some benefits I encountered while doing this exercise:

• you remind yourself of everything you accomplished this year and celebrate your success, no matter how small or big it is

• it boosts your motivation to chase your goals in the next one

• it shows you how self-critical you are and if you're overcriticizing yourself

• it helps you set goals for the next year

• it changes the perspective towards your goals from negative into a more positive one; instead of thinking about all the things you didn't accomplish this year, you focus on the things you did achieve, and it prepares you to be excited about the goals in the next year

• it improves your self-confidence

You can do this by yourself or maybe even with your partner, colleague or friend to make it more fun.

This exercise would also be a great way for teams to connect, celebrate their accomplishments, share their vision and plan the goals for the following year.

Give it a try! Let's set ourselves up for even more accomplishments and happy moments in 2022!