Doing a personal year-end review will help you see the progress you made last year, find out what held you back, and go into the new year with more awareness and understanding. Download your annual review template below. The potential of 12 new months can be very motivating. Before you jump ahead, I think it’s important to review your year first.
How to Review Your Year
Print out the worksheet below and find somewhere quiet to sit for 10-15 minutes. You’ll want to be distraction-free while completing your yearly review. Some of these questions seem very basic, but take the time to really dig into your answers.
Often times once we are on the “outside” of a situation after a certain amount of time has passed, we may feel differently about it. You may be able to see more clearly why something happened, what caused it, or what good came from it. Many times you won’t find the silver lining when things go really badly and that’s ok.
âś± Once you’ve finished this short year-end review, you can move on to a more thorough review with our free Annual Life Assessment worksheet.
Take Credit for Your Successes and Responsibility for Unmet Goals
When you are looking back over the year, be sure to give yourself credit for your successes, take credit for the good things that happened. It’s easy for us to give other people credit when things go right but much harder for us to see our own efforts pay off. In the same way, take a good look at the failures or missed opportunities of the past year and take responsibility for any part you may have had.
Were you overwhelmed? Afraid? Lazy? Did you just give up? Admitting these things is difficult but taking responsibility will help you to avoid these things in the future.
Be careful to give yourself credit for the effort you put towards your goals, even the ones that didn’t meet the mark. In the same way don’t give up on these goals, just because the year is over doesn’t have to mean that the goals were failures.
Perseverance is worth celebrating so, while you may not have had great success this year you still have the future to try again. Many personal projects and goals are long-term. Give yourself credit for the efforts you put in this year!
If you are looking for more resources about personal accountability I would recommend QBQ by John G. Miller – this is an excellent book!
Reflect on Gratitude
You’ll be surprised how much you have to be thankful for once you take the time to really look for it. Simple day-to-day examples might be: The kids stayed healthy this winter, I completed my project on time, We paid for our vacation in cash this year, etc. Many people keep daily gratitude journals, which I find very admirable.
If you’re like me and keeping a daily list seems overwhelming, you can start with this yearly Gratitude list. I’m so encouraged whenever I take the time to reflect on the blessings in my life; it’s a practice I would like to do more regularly.
Close Out Your Year With a Personal Year-End Review
Doing a personal annual review is a great way to close out the year. Having a new starting point and leaving things behind can be very motivating for people. Doing a yearly review will allow you to close out the year before you move on to new things.
Taking the time to review your past year will help you to set mindful goals moving forward. I can’t tell you how many years I have “drink 8 cups of water” on my goal list. If after a year I’m still struggling to meet this goal, it’s time to change the goal.
Download your Year-End Review Template Below:
You should receive your download link via e-mail within the hour. Be sure you check your SPAM or Promotions folder if you’re not finding the e-mail.  If, after an hour, you have not received your link, please contact me, and I’ll help you figure out what happened.
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- Review Your Year with This Annual Review Template
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