A Year-End Review Personal Evolution Process (P.E.P.) for 2021

How to establish your core value and emotional tone for how you want to feel in 2022.

On Wednesday, December 29, I taught this year-in-review process to a wonderful group of people.

A number of interesting and important conversations took place as a result of the questions and what different people shared. We could have easily gone down the rabbit hole to explore the adjacent ideas. It was fascinating to witness the shared challenges that the group identified and resonated with, namely, setting boundaries, seeking contentment, and belonging versus trying to fit in. Perhaps the last two years of COVID-19 had something to do with that, or perhaps that’s simply an expression of core needs and being human.

Suffice to say, this is a powerful and insightful process, and I look forward to sharing it with you. It’s a simple journaling process to review the meaningful highlights, milestones, and insights that shaped your life this past year. Give yourself one to two hours to work your way through this review. You may want to add to it over the next few days as you remember more details.

Reflect on the events of this past year.

Allow yourself to answer freely and without judgement. Don’t consider this to be an assessment of your past year. Instead, consider the facts of what happened, what stands out, and how those experiences shaped you. Jot down recollections as they come to you. You are welcome to come back and add more colour. Review your calendar and journals for forgotten highlights. Include major events, significant habits, and goals you pursued and accomplished.

Step 1 — Define 2–3 significant new beginnings

Define 2–3 of the most significant new projects, books, habits, job/career, friendships, or relationships that had a meaningful impact (positive or negative) on your life, and what was so important about each one.

Step 2 — Define 2–3 milestones for this past year.

What stands out in this past year as a significant event, be that a significant goal or something you…