After nearly nine years at Holmes Murphy, I’ve noticed that the transition from December to January seems to come earlier each year. Reflecting on these years, I’ve experienced both successful calendar flips and moments that have left me wondering, “What just happened?”

Early in my career, I didn’t realize the importance of starting the first workday of January with a clear personal plan for the year ahead and a sense of personal closure for the year behind. Over time, I’ve learned that positive self-reflection and planning are essential for ensuring both a successful start and a healthy closure.

This experience also taught me that while I know “year-end reviews” with colleagues, managers, and leaders are important, the insights gained from those meetings are most effective when combined with personal self-reflection.

So, taking this all into consideration, I decided to develop a few introspective questions that have helped me settle down, recognize my achievements, plan effectively, and find motivation for growth in the upcoming year. These questions are centered around the positive takeaways from the year in review and their answers create clear action I can take in the year ahead.

What Accomplishments Did I Achieve?

Often, we focus more on missed opportunities or significant failures when reflecting on the past. In my experience, we learn from these failures almost immediately. However, we also learn a great deal about ourselves, our teammates, our processes, and our roles by considering what made us successful.

I now like to identify three to five success stories where I played a key role and search for common themes. These themes are crucial for planning success in the coming year.

Which Strengths Contributed Most to My Success?

When I’m able to reflect on my successes, I find that my individual strengths come to the forefront.

As you try this, ask yourself which of these strengths has been the most beneficial? How can you leverage these strengths in future opportunities and situations?

It’s important to recognize the strengths we believe we possess are often used in our daily lives, which helps build confidence! This exercise can also highlight strengths that haven’t been fully tapped into — another positive outcome. Do you need assistance in bringing these untapped strengths to light, or should you continue to lean into the strengths you already use while collaborating with colleagues and partners to fill any gaps?

Who Were My Most Important Relationships With This Past Year?

We all know that success is rarely achieved alone. Whether these relationships are personal, professional, or a mix of both, I think it’s important to not only acknowledge what contributed to our successes, but also who helped us along the way. Recognizing these relationships — and the potential to foster new, similar ones — is a key to future success.

By focusing on these straightforward, positive questions during my year in review, I’ve gained significant clarity on what and who to prioritize over the next 12 months. This positive reflection has also helped me set healthy goals for growth without allowing feelings of failure to dominate my assessment of the past year.

We all experienced successes this year, so why not leverage them to plan for a successful 2025?!