The end of the year has arrived. This is a good time to look back at this year and plan your career growth for the next year.
Reflection allows you to process what happened, increase self-awareness and challenge your thoughts and ideas. You can then acknowledge what you have learnt and how you can take those lessons into the new year.
Below are a set of questions you can use to help you reflect on your year and plan ahead for growth.
Find a quiet space and spend some time answering the questions without interruptions.
Looking back:
What were your career highlights for the year?
What went well this year?
What did not go well this year?
Your current skills:
What are your strengths? How do you know that?
What do you need to work on improving? How do you know that? How are you working on this area?
Looking ahead:
What is your desired long term career trajectory? Role and the type of work you want to be doing? (Think 5 years from now).
What are your goals for the upcoming year? What would you like to achieve?
Motivation:
What kind of work / work-related things give you satisfaction?
What kind of work / work-related things irritate you?
Final thoughts
That is all. The above questions are one of the best ways I have found to reflect on your year and plan ahead.
Reflection and goal setting are powerful tools for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life.
By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray.
Wishing you all the best for 2022!