Shine a light on your working year with these 2 Questions
If you want next year to feel different, you need to look at this year first! The last weeks of the year are a frenzy for many of us, I know - they are here too. My children are older now, so it’s not so much about nativities, but the pace of everything still seems to rocket. Christmas fairs, parties, treats, donations, liaising with my ex, getting work projects to a place where you can down tools without stressing... It makes me want to hide under my duvet.
I now have a non-negotiable as part of my December though. And, what’s more, it’s fun. It feels like a gift to myself. Every year, before the school holidays start, I take an hour for myself. I go somewhere peaceful and soothing (though by all means, you can do this with Wham on repeat in the background, if that’s your thing). I shine a light on my working year. It’s like a little compassionate self-appraisal. And it lets me properly relax as the year comes to a close. I’d love it to be a part of your December too. Here’s how to shine a light on your working year with just 2 questions, so you can feel excited for 2024.
Don’t Make This Mistake
There’s a lot of talk around goal-setting as we come to the end of 2023 and look towards the new year. And I’m a big fan of planning. But if you leap into deciding what you want from your future before you’ve delved into the last few months, you’re going in blind. Spending time reviewing the ups and downs of the past few months will help you:
● Identify patterns
● Learn what matters to you (and it might not be what you think)
● Avoid future pitfalls
● Focus on the things that light you up.
Be Flexible
Tune into your own needs here. I’ve said I do this every December, because it feels like a gift to me. At a time when I’m running around looking after so many other people’s needs: buying presents, making sure I’ve got Christmas arrangements sorted with my boys’ father, seeing family, taking just an hour or two for myself isn’t a luxury, it’s essential. I don’t see it as an admin activity, it’s an act of grounding and self-restoration when I’m frazzled.
But if you don’t do it in December, it’s no big deal. The time police aren’t going to bar you from entering 2024 because you’ve not reviewed 2023 yet! Life is not a race: you can get to where you need to be at the pace that suits you. Just schedule a time when you can make a little space for yourself, and gift yourself this process. Believe me, it’s worth it.
Two Key Questions To Shine A Light On Your Working Year
The process I use is actually really simple. I start off by asking myself two key questions:
What have I LOVED in the last 12 months?
Where have I STRUGGLED in the last 12 months?
There’s any number of ways you can answer these questions for yourself. If you’re a visual sort of person, mindmaps are perfect for you. Get two A3 pieces of paper, put the words ‘WORK LOVE’ on one and ‘WORK STRUGGLES’ on the other, then add, doodle, connect to your heart’s content. Or if you prefer to just freewrite it all out, do that - don’t worry about analysing or making sense of anything, just write down whatever you think of, in the order it comes into your head. Or, if that feels too daunting, use a trusty list and get your thoughts down that way.
Why These Questions?
When it comes down to it, as well as money, we want to do work that lights us up. We want to shine, and we want to feel as though the work we’re doing is valuable too. Yes, there are people that are solely in it for the money. But I bet if you asked those people if they could have money AND a sense of purpose, they’d go for it.
So these two questions get right to the heart of that. Reflecting on the things we love tells us about what we are drawn to, where we get our energy from, where we see value, and feel valued.
And the ‘struggles’ one is really interesting. Your struggles can tell you about things that feel like areas of weakness. Things that you hate doing, or people you don’t like working with. These are things to be ‘good enough’ at, so they don’t hold you back, but not things to focus on. Sniff out what you love instead.
Struggles can also tell you about areas of value. Because if it feels like a struggle, sometimes that’s a sign that the thing was important to you, and you wanted to do it well. For example, maybe you had a team member who was having a tough time this year, and you really struggled to support them. Identifying that as an area of struggle doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad manager, it can instead mean that supporting your team is really important to you, and it matters that you do it well.
So these questions are fantastic ways into a huge pool of evidence about what drives you. It’s not so much about critiquing yourself so you can do better. It’s about identifying what brings you energy, and motivation, and figuring out how you can dial that up in ways that feel good in the future.
It’s All About Strengths
This simple process is based in strengths theory.
Looking at your strengths, values and motivations is a fantastic way to understand yourself at work. And it provides a compass to your career development too. Think about it as climbing a mountain. The journey will be challenging, but the challenge is what makes it worthwhile.
You could choose to go with minimal equipment, and pick the most precarious route, without equipment, and make life as difficult as possible. Or, you could pick a route that feels much more comfortable for you, using the tools you have available - one that will still give you plenty of challenge to focus on, but will harness your strengths. Most of us will choose a route that suits our strengths and needs (of course there will always be those who want to do things the most difficult way - which is fine too, as long as it’s an active choice!).
It’s a compassionate approach: no-one is brilliant at everything. But by identifying what you most enjoy, care about and do well, you can set a course for your future that feels good and enables you to do good.
This Is Just The Beginning
Doing this exercise gives me a buzz, every time. I always get new insight into what I’m feeling, and it helps me remember the highlights and lowlights of recent months, which gives me a sense of closure. But this exercise is just the beginning. You’ve gathered together all these lovely ingredients about what you’d like your work life to be like, and now you need to interpret them, and use them to guide your future.
That’s where I can help. Over January I am offering 3 one-off Shine A Light coaching sessions for just £115 (usually £185) to get you on track for your most radiant work year ever. Together, we’ll sift through what matters to you, what holds you back, and what you don’t yet know so you’ll leave with a plan to make 2024 the year you fall back in love with your work. This is for you whether you’re feeling at the end of your tether with work, or just a bit stuck in a rut. Either way, it’s time for you to start shining bright again!
Sessions are only available in January 2024, and need to be booked by 31 December 2023. To check dates, ask questions and book in, just contact me here.
I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us! Let’s take it on together!