As the end of a year approaches, we inevitably tend to take stock of the year. It is always a good idea to reflect on what happened, on what has been experienced and of course take it into account for our “wishes for 2014”. But there are three failures that you can usually commit if you are taking stock of your year without a model that helps you correctly assess the year. These are:
Very frequent first mistake - remembering only what happened in the last few months. It is necessary to think and reflect on what happened throughout the year, since January, even when our memory is fixed and focuses on what happened in the last three months.
Second very frequent mistake - not making a balanced balance. If you only focus on the personal, or you only focus on the workplace, you will be missing part of the film and you will not be able to detect what things have been impacted by others, or which areas have been leveraged by others (both positively and negatively).
Third very frequent mistake - what now?. Taking an unconstructive balance (or because it is destructive and based on criticism, or because it does not lead to anything new) does not help much and does not allow you to face a new year with better prospects.
Here I give you my personal model (of only 6 steps) to make a Constructive Balance of the year 2013 (write your answers, if possible, in a new notebook where then you can continue your reflection during 2014):
Step number 1 - What have been your achievements in 2013?
This question seems so simple, and I assure you it will have you thinking for a while. Some people tend to underestimate their achievements, so they don't find much to say in this part. Does this also happen to you? Well, an infallible recipe: think about those things that you have achieved and that others have not. But it is not for comparing yourself, but because this will help you understand what you have achieved and that other people have not. It can be from having achieved a certain work result, to a change in your career. Have passed an exam, have improved your relationship with your partner or with your family, have made an important decision, etc.
And here is an additional tip: Look for at least one achievement for each month of the year. I am sure that you have achieved something every month, no matter how small you think it is. Search and search your memory and you will find from January, something to put on this list. This requires exercise and reflection. Don't take it lightly. Ahead! You are doing it by yourself!
Step number 2 - What mistakes did you make in 2013?
Do not worry. This balance of the year we said is constructive, right? So the point of finding your mistakes is that they help you, not pound on them. Allow yourself to discover these mistakes and forgive yourself for them. You may have heard the phrase "if you are not mistaken it is because you are not doing enough". To err is human, you are human, forgive yourself for mistakes. Don't punish yourself. But he learns to identify them, to live with them and accept them, but also to learn from them and not commit them again next year.
Make your list of at least one error a month (I bet this list is easier than the previous one. Do not worry, it is not that you have more errors than achievements, but that you have been educated to see your negative side more easily than your side positive).
Step number 3 - What things did not go as you expected or wanted them to be different?
This differs from the previous point in that it is not necessarily based on an error. You could have done things "correctly" and still did not achieve the result you expected. In the same way that one learns from the mistakes one makes, one also learns from the results that have not been as one expected. So what you should do at this point is identify what has not gone as you expected and then reflect on it. These three questions will help you in this step:
- What things did not go as you expected? What causes or roots can you identify and have led to this result? What could you have done differently?
Step number 4 - What have you learned from each of these events from the previous points?
As I have already anticipated it, it is important to learn from mistakes or adverse results, and also from what you have achieved. Just as the reflection in the previous points will help you determine the root and causes of your achievements and setbacks, then you have to be able to capitalize on what you have learned there and for that you must identify what your lesson was. It is very important that you remember that you learn more from the things that do not go as you expect (and that you sometimes call failures) than from those that go as you wanted. And the most important thing in this case is to capitalize on learning. You will have heard many times that the problem is not tripping but doing it more than once with the same stone. As well,To ensure that this does not happen, you have to learn what you have done wrong and remember it and then not take that path again (and thus avoid the same stone). These questions will help you with this point:
- What was the achievement, error or adverse result that you have identified? What was your lesson learned in this case? What will happen to you "never again" because now you have learned this? from now on always ”will happen to you because you have learned from this?
Step number 5 - What actions that you have done in 2013 do you want to continue promoting and developing?
Perhaps you have been more committed to your professional career, your family or your quality of life. It is something that you liked and you have done. Surely you consider it an achievement, even if it's just something you've slowly started to do. Maybe you had been putting it off for many years. But definitely, it's something you want to continue doing or developing in 2014.
Remember, to make a balanced balance you must think about all areas of your life. Look at this brief list that you can take into account for this reflection: professional career, work environment, studies and training, finances, personal development, spiritual development, family, friends and affections, partner and children, etc.
Step number 6 - What things would not be possible in 2014 if you had not laid the foundations in 2013?
This is an excellent slogan, what's more, my favorite. Because not only does it allow you to appreciate the good of the year (and beware, the not so good as well, as long as you have capitalized on it and have learned from it) but you also begin to value it as a necessary step to climb the hill. And the most interesting thing is that many times it turns out to be a personal or work crisis, which leads you to reflect on your discomfort, think of alternatives and from there take a leap. Surely you have heard that phrase "if it is not broken, do not fix it." Whether you agree or not, this is normally what our autopilot does. It maintains the current status (called the status quo) if there is nothing that has been broken, there is nothing to fix.
But many times something has broken, it was an opportunity to grow. What was yours then? A crisis in your work that allowed you to start thinking about having your own business? A problem with your partner that made you realize that you are not paying enough attention to your own life, that you live on autopilot? An illness that made you recognize that you live with stress and that this is affecting your quality of life? Were you fired from your job and this generated that you could think about that change of profession that you did not dare to do so as not to put “safe work” at risk?
Identify which crises or opportunities have arisen in 2013, and which will allow you to have a 2014 that is different and closer to your ideal life and profession.
And here you have it, a 6-step scheme to be able to make a constructive balance of 2013, with greater awareness and in a way that allows you to use it as a basis to create something different next year.
