Are You Taking Time to Reflect?

This time of the year is a whirlwind. A lot is going on from mid-November until the end of the year; the feeling is doubled if you are a business owner trying to prepare for 2023! Between setting yourself up for success with good planning and gathering all the items your accountant is asking for, there’s hardly any time to reflect on the passing year and create your vision for the next one.

Despite the season’s crunch, it is essential to take the time to look back over the past twelve months and decide what worked and what didn’t and where you would like to improve or change in the next twelve! What can you do more to ensure more tremendous, sustainable success, and what have you been doing that might be hindering your growth?

Everyone reflects on successes and misses differently, but here are several ways to look back over the year with purpose!

One great example from Keda Edwards Pierre in this article on Forbes.com is using a 5-point checkup. Keda calls it her “ABCs,” looking at her alignment with her company and the idea of “Boots on the ground” and if she remembers where she came from. Then she tackles the ever-important communication; is she self-aware and clear and follows up with two more C’s, care (self-care) and creativity. What would your ABCs be, and how could you use Keda’s check-up to check in?

Sarah Li-Cain, on collective.com, wrote this article about how to use reflection to level up your business in the coming year. One of her suggestions is to look back through your calendar and projects to see how much you have accomplished! After patting yourself on the back for your hard work, determine what went well and what did not. What projects did you love, which ones did you not, and why? Are the ones you disliked aligned with your business, or is there an issue with how you tackled them?

Shannon Kaiser of Entrepreneur.com offered ten ways to reflect compassionately over the past year. Although we loved the entire list, our favorite was, “What have I been avoiding out of fear?” This is a wonderful and challenging question to ask and answer. We know as business owners that unchecked fear can wreck our plans and keep us stuck. But what might we find if we look at missed or mishandled opportunities through this lens?

Regardless of how you choose to go about your year-end review and reflection, it is essential to do so. How will you reflect this year, and what do you hope to do differently next year?