The turning of the new year is a good time to reflect on the past year. It’s a perfect opportunity to create a scorecard that explores what went right–and what didn’t. But beyond the mere line items of wins and losses, it’s important to invest time to understand the ‘why’ of it and the subsequent learning that occurred as a result.
We learn more from our failures than our successes. From experience, we learn what to do differently and maybe even how to approach the situation in the future.
It’s important to savor the things that go right, but it’s equally important to appreciate those that don’t. After all, we’re still here to try again, to improve ourselves, and to model this resilience to others.
One of my biggest lacks is my ability to just “be” and not feel pushed towards accomplishing (also known as “doing”). My challenge is to find more comfort in enjoying the moment, and that’s one of my big goals for the upcoming year. All that said, I will not beat myself up over my lack but treat myself with kindness.
My dear friend and coach Edward Goldmann, author of Act from Choice, used to remind me to treat myself like I would my child. It’s a tall order for me, but I hold his words dear to my heart, and I keep trying.
What does your “scorecard” look like? What wins stand out for you, and what failures have you learned from?
