What went well this year?
Back in September, I was super excited to host my first ever JMT Speaks giveaway with my newsletter subscribers and selected a random winner to win one of my favorite books of 2021 (and all time), Atomic Habits by James Clear. I'm circling back to that bestseller so I can draw from the author's Annual Review that he performs each December (see page 245!). He uses the annual review to evaluate his habits after tallying up how many articles he published, workouts he completed, new places he visited, etc. BUT, given my new habits haven't been in action for 12 months, I'm asking myself these questions in general. We'll see what 2022 brings for my new, atomic habits! <Fingers crossed!>
I hope you'll consider joining me as I answer the three, simple questions in the Annual Review. Here are some ground rules I invented as guideposts:
Set a time limit to answer (and eliminate distractions). This is the type of thing I can spend hours (days?) completing and re-doing as I overthink it. I've limited myself to 30 uninterrupted minutes in the interest of time and space. Plus, I think the "gut reaction" answers are the best.
Pick categories. I'm going to answer as an entrepreneur. Separately, I'll be working on this for my personal life. (I'm not doing this particular exercise for my day job since I have a different self-assessment to complete, but this certainly works there as well!)
Be honest and fair. This one speaks for itself. Otherwise, what's the point? It's not the time for criticism or being your own worst enemy. Acknowledge those wins!
With that said, here goes question number one: What went well this year? In the order I answered these questions in my head:
My authenticity talk. I love everything about this talk. Since sharing an abridged version at my January anniversary celebration, I've expanded and revised the content. I've presented this talk to different audiences this year and amazed at how it resonates with literally everyone. The message of identifying and embracing your true self is one I'm determined to spread, so here's looking at you, 2022!
In-person speaking engagements. I was finally able to present in person after launching this biz on the eve of a pandemic. It's thrilling to connect with a live audience and feed off of the attendees' energy. For me, there is no greater feeling than live storytelling. It went well!
Adding #MondayMotivation. I randomly started posting Monday Motivation on LinkedIn and Instagram and it's been an exciting way to not only start off my week (ahem, keep a positive mindset!) but also to engage with folks in a different way. I've also met a bunch of great and inspiring people!
Managing self-expectations. This was my first full calendar year as an entrepreneur. Last year, I felt (i.e., gave myself) a lot of pressure to succeed. This year, I went easier on myself and enjoyed the ride. I reminded myself that I have a full-time job and a family so this is a marathon, not a sprint. I'm also not sure whatever awaits at the proverbial finish line -- and I'm cool with it!
My new talk on overcoming the imposter syndrome. How could I forget?! I wrote this talk earlier this year and poured my heart and soul into it. It's what I needed to hear earlier in my career and what we need to normalize talking about now more than ever. I'm grateful for the praise it's received.
This newsletter. Writing this newsletter is the entrepreneurial highlight of my week. I wish I could say I had a cool, organized content plan that I carefully plan and execute, but I simply don't. I find inspiration from my interactions with others, books I read, and the world around me. And it organically works! I've grown the subscriber community by "just" being me, so I'm ecstatic that it went well this year.
Ok, so that felt weird and slightly awkward to put out there, but why not? I'm hoping me doing this serves as a kind of accountability partner for you to do the same. But be warned, next week is going to be a bit harder....
If you perform this exercise or have another way you take stock in December, I'd love to hear about it!
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