It is hard to believe it is December 13, 2021. The year has flown by for me. Since we only have 18 days left in the year, I think it is worth taking a look back at how the year went for you. If you don’t have an honest assessment of the good, the bad, and the ugly from 2021, it is tough to build a path forward in 2022. Most people rarely take the time to conduct a thorough assessment of their personal and professional life, though.

For several years, I tried to write a comprehensive yearly assessment. But I rarely finished it. I would get it half complete, print it, and it would sit in my drawer for a year until I got to the next December when I would repeat the process again. Here is an easier way to review the year which I actually accomplished last year. Use theses five questions to guide your assessment of 2021.

5 Questions to Guide Your Assessment

1. Where did you succeed? – What are you most proud of from your achievements in the past year? What were your wins? Celebrating even the small wins is important. Remember the times you were on top of your game. I talked more about Celebrating the Wins in Post #180.

2. What did you enjoy most? – List the three things that you enjoyed the most in 2021. Are you passionate about your work? Your relationships? Make sure you are enjoying the journey today. We only have one life to live and it’s important to enjoy yourself each and every day. If not, maybe it is time for a change in job, career, or relationship.

3. What lessons did you learn? – Failures are a part of life and are important to help us grow and develop. But rather than thinking of it as a failure, it is helpful to reframe it as a lesson learned. You should always be learning. What lessons did life teach you in the past year? Understanding them will help you grow and be ready to overcome similar situations in the future.

4. What will you do differently? In 2022 what will you do differently? Many of the same challenges will present themselves in the coming year. You control yourself. What will you do differently in the coming year? Don’t blame others for your behavior or lack of results.

5. What is the status of your goals? – What did you accomplish in 2021? Where did you fall short? Take a look back at the goals you set in December 2020 or January 2021. Hopefully they were SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound). Which ones did you achieve? Which ones will you continue to pursue in 2022?

A Short Personal 2021 Assessment

To help you better understand the assessment concept, here is a short assessment of my 2021:

1. Success — On July 12, 2021 I published Grow Your Grit: Overcome Obstacles, Thrive, and Accomplish Your Goals. This was my biggest accomplishment of the year. I am proud of the work that I put into it. And I appreciate the feedback and reception from those that have read it and applied some of the techniques to enhance their own grit. Pick up a copy in time for the holidays on Amazon.

2. Enjoyment — Four moments of pure enjoyment happened for me in 2021:

   • My daughter and my trip to Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota. We had a great time and made memories that will last a long time

   • Early morning walks with Samantha, the dog — being up on the street before the town wakes up has been a great way to start the day.

   • Coaching incredible leaders to be even better in their job and life has been very rewarding.

   • Riding the Carter Butts Memorial Bicycle Ride. I rode the bike well, covered attacks for a friend, and finished on the podium. It was my best ride/race of the season.

3. Lessons Learned — For 2021 I created a very detailed set of goals and a plan to get there for my business. The year did not go as planned. Next year I will build a less detailed and more flexible plan.

4. Do Differently — I am seriously contemplating hiring a virtual executive assistant to help me grow TFCG in 2022. There were several times in 2021 that my time could have been used more wisely. A virtual executive assistant could have helped me with that problem.

5. Status of Goals — I published Grow Your Grit and continued to blog twice a week. TFCG grew in an unexpected, yet very rewarding way through the executive coaching practice. COVID continues to hamper the growth of the business, however.

Conclusion

Use these five questions to assess your performance in 2021 and then use the knowledge to go on the offensive in 2022.