Hey Reader,

This is the time of year I find it most valuable to conduct my annual reflection. It’s easy to think “I have more to do to wrap up the year” — and that may be true.

But reflecting on the year puts a single week in context. It will also help you be more intentional and realistic in setting plans and goals for the new year (we will talk about that more in the coming weeks).

🗓️ Conducting Your Annual Reflection

The annual reflection isn’t a valuable practice because it’s easy or fun. Often, it is neither. But it’s valuable because of what you learn in the process.

You’re able to recognize all of the lessons – both good and bad – that you’ve learned in 2022. This helps you look ahead, make productive changes, and move your best work forward

Since there’s no easy separation between what’s going on in your personal life and your professional one, our Annual Reflection Worksheet gives you “Personal” and “Professional” buckets in a side-by-side format. These universal questions will help guide you to make the changes you want in each domain. Click here to download the worksheet automatically.

I always start out with my celebrations.I do this not only because it sets a positive tone that helps build momentum, but it makes me reflect on all I actually did accomplish.

• What went well? 👍
• What am I proud of? 😊
• Which goals did I achieve? ✅

After you’ve had some time to celebrate your accomplishments, the next few questions will have consider what may have challenged you or gotten in the way of your plans in 2022 and what lessons you want to take with you into 2023. How can you connect a goal that wasn’t achieved in 2022 with a clearer set of priorities in 2023?

The last thing I have you reflect on is your success pack. Who acted as a guide, peer, supporter, or beneficiary this past year that helped you move your best work forward?

🎙Listen to my conversation with Angela to get a full picture of the annual reflection process.

🎯 Moving from Reflection to Implementation

After reflection you have the opportunity to pivot to planning and implementation. One way to measure your results and actions going forward is to categorize work in three ways:

1. Create: content, reports, happy employees, and products.
2. Consume: interesting content and training.
3. Connect: with other people and build relationships.

I used to describe what we need to do using breath metaphors: you can’t breathe in and breathe out at the same time. Taking in information is breathing in, and creating something is breathing out. The reason I liked this metaphor is that it helps us think about how off-balance we are.

There is a lot of nuance and personal experience wrapped up in these three categories, but it’s worth paying attention to. If we spend too much time in one category at the (literal) expense of another, our work and relationships suffer. A healthy, ever-shifting balance of all three is worth planning for and pursuing in the new year.

Stand Tall,

Charlie

🕳️ Going Deeper

If you found 2022 to be a challenging year I invite you to go into your annual reflection with a little grace and maybe even a little wonder. Here are a couple additional resources to help you stay open to both the celebrations and learning experiences 2022 gave you:

• What to do when you’ve had a difficult year and are having a hard time seeing success and preparing for the next year, and how to be gentle and kind with yourself when you’re not feeling especially productive.
• This guest post from filmmaker Kerra Bolton helps you understand the internal stories that might be leading to the success or failure in your goals.

📰 Other News & Features

🎙️ Charlie went on the Sparked podcast with host Jonathan Fields to share thoughts on how to create belonging and inclusion in a post-pandemic world. They discussed how we took for granted the social fabric in workplaces before so much of the world went remote, and a vision for how positive team culture can begin with a sense of belonging.

🎙️ It was also an honor for Charlie to make an appearance as a first-time guest on the Journey to Launch podcast with Jamila Soufrant, suggesting why attention is ultimately more valuable to us than time. The conversation also tapped into methods for avoiding a familiar slippery slope: of placing priority on economic and career projects, as opposed to other aspects of our lives. Listen to the episode here.