It’s that season again when we start to wind down one year and prepare for the next. As much as I see January 1st as just another day, I can appreciate what the transition from one year to the next represents. It’s a marker. It indicates our move from what is past into what’s coming. It’s also the perfect time to slow down and take inventory of where we’ve been before we start planning where we want to go.
That’s what goal setting really is… Creating a plan for where we want to go. Unfortunately, most of us only look forward. A good friend of mine put it this way, “I don’t look backward to the past. I’m not going that direction.” I understand where he’s going when he tells me this, but my challenge back to him is simple… Don’t miss what’s behind you.
Over the past year, you’ve gained some new experiences and learned some lessons. It’s impossible not to. And, if you don’t slow down enough to I.D. those lessons and carry them with you into the new year, you’ll leave them behind and lose all of their value.
You worked way too hard to gain those experiences and learn those lessons. Some were painful or uncovered gaps in your life. Others took discipline and work. Still others showed you what you’re really capable of and your true potential.
If you leave all that learning and experience behind, you won’t be able to leverage it in the coming year. Don’t make that mistake.
Here’s a simple way to make sure that doesn’t happen. Every year, I share my Snapshot exercise with you. It’s an easy way to ask yourself some questions that will help you:
- Identify your wins from 2022
- Pinpoint the strengths that you leaned into
- Define what you want more of and less of in 2023
- Diagnose what distracted you from your goals and held you back
- Get prepared to set your goals for the new year
I don’t move ahead with setting my goals for the coming year until I’ve unpacked what I learned in this past year. The two go hand-in-hand, and I’ll be going through this exercise personally over the next week. I’m excited to share it with each of you to help you create your own 2022 snapshot. Download it here today! I won’t ask for your email or any information. I just want you to have this tool and use it…
If you want me to send you more content like this, including the 2023 goal-setting tool that I’ll be sharing next week, just subscribe here and you’ll get added to my Depth Not Width email list. You’ll hear from me about once a week, and I’ll send you content like this that adds value, helps push your limits, and helps you reach your full potential.
Enjoy this exercise!
– John
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Follow me here for more insights just like this one as you begin working on your goals! You can also listen in to my Grit Meets Growth podcast here or on your favorite podcast platforms. Episodes are also available on YouTube.
