Evaluating your 2024 offers a unique opportunity to pause, reflect, and connect the dots between where you’ve been and where you’re headed. As Steve Jobs famously said during his Stanford commencement address, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.” This wisdom underscores the importance of reflection as the foundation for planning your future.

Evaluating your past year isn’t just about looking back—it’s about building clarity, learning from your experiences, and preparing for a year filled with purpose. Reflection helps you identify your strengths, celebrate your progress, and understand the lessons behind your challenges. The insights you gain during this process set a powerful foundation for designing a meaningful 2025.

What’s in This Article

We’ll walk through five key components of the Evaluation Phase:

1. Honour Your Journey

Reflect on significant moments and personal growth from 2024.

2. Celebrate Your Wins

Recognise your accomplishments to build momentum for the future.

3. Reflect on Key Relationships

Identify and appreciate the people who uplifted and supported you.

4. Summarise Your Year in One Word

Capture the essence of 2024 with a single, meaningful word.

5. Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You

Release fears, regrets, and habits to make space for growth.

Each section is designed to help you gain insights, clarity, and self-awareness so you can step into 2025 with intention and confidence.

This is a long read, so grab your favourite drink, get cosy, and prepare to dive into a reflective journey. You’ll also need some ready materials like your calendar, journal, or photos to harness the full potential of these exercises. Trust me, the benefits will be worth it.

Let’s begin!

1. Honour Your Journey

One of the most impactful ways to evaluate 2024 is by honouring your journey—taking the time to acknowledge significant moments and the personal growth you’ve experienced. This practice not only builds clarity but also helps you move forward with intention and confidence.

Acknowledging your journey is about gaining self-awareness and celebrating the progress you’ve made. Every success, challenge, and breakthrough in 2024 holds lessons that can guide your path in 2025. Reflecting on these moments helps you:

• Understand your strengths and resilience.
• Recognise patterns in your actions and decisions.
• Build a foundation of confidence and clarity for the year ahead.

A Lens for Growth

Start by reviewing the significant moments of your year. These could include successes that made you proud, challenges that tested your limits, or breakthroughs that changed your perspective.

Key moments are milestones that shape who you are and where you’re headed. They provide a lens for understanding what worked, what didn’t, and what truly matters to you.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. What were my biggest successes in 2024, and why were they meaningful?
2. What challenges did I face, and how did I overcome them?
3. Were there any breakthroughs—moments of clarity or growth—that shifted my perspective?

Example:
If you successfully led a major project at work, reflect on the skills and habits that contributed to your success. If you navigated a difficult personal situation, consider the resilience and coping mechanisms you developed.

The Lessons Behind Meaningful Moments

Reflection isn’t just about identifying key moments—it’s about understanding why they were meaningful and what they taught you.

Lessons from your experiences provide a guide for future decisions. They show you what to carry forward and what to leave behind.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. What did I learn from my successes and challenges?
2. How did these moments shape my personal growth or values?
3. Are there habits or strategies I can carry into 2025?

Example:
If a difficult project taught you the importance of delegation, you might set a goal to strengthen this skill in the coming year.

Building Self-Awareness Through Reflection

Honouring your journey is ultimately about gaining self-awareness. By reflecting on your progress and resilience, you uncover the strengths and values that define you. Self-awareness is the foundation for growth and intentional decision-making. It helps you align your goals with who you are and what you want to become.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. How did I grow as a person in 2024?
2. What strengths did I discover or develop?
3. How can I build on this growth in 2025?

For example, if you faced a year of change and realised your adaptability, this awareness can guide you to approach new challenges in 2025 with confidence.

By reviewing key moments, recognising their significance, and understanding the lessons they hold, you build a strong foundation for the year ahead. This practice helps you move forward with clarity, intention, and self-awareness, ensuring that 2025 is not just another year but a purposeful step in your personal and professional growth.

What’s one significant moment from 2024 that shaped your journey?

2. Celebrate Your Wins

One of the most uplifting and motivating exercises is celebrating your wins. Taking time to recognise your achievements—both big and small—not only boosts your confidence but also builds momentum for the year ahead. This step is an essential part of the Evaluation Phase because it focuses on what worked, helping you replicate and build on that success in 2025.

Celebrating your successes is a chance to reflect on the progress you’ve made, reinforce positive habits, and express gratitude for the support that helped you along the way. Recognising your wins gives you the motivation and clarity to carry that energy into the new year.

Big Wins and Small Victories Build Momentum
Accomplishments, no matter their size, create a ripple effect. Acknowledging both the major milestones and the seemingly minor victories reminds you of what’s possible when you put in effort and stay consistent.

Understand What Worked
Reflection isn’t just about the end result—it’s about understanding the habits, actions, and support systems that led to success. These are the tools you can rely on as you design your 2025.

Pro Tip: Double Down on What’s Working

As you celebrate your wins, pay special attention to the strategies, habits, or environments that consistently lead to success. These are your personal success drivers—double down on them in 2025. By focusing on what’s working, you can amplify your results and build momentum for even bigger achievements.

The Magic of Gratitude

Gratitude is crucial to celebrating wins. It shifts your perspective from “what’s missing” to “what’s present,” helping you feel more fulfilled and motivated. Expressing gratitude not only deepens your appreciation but also reinforces the positive energy that will carry you into 2025.

Celebrating your wins helps you understand how you achieved those results, which you can use to shape your future. By honouring your victories, reflecting on what worked, and expressing gratitude for the journey, you set the stage for even greater success in 2025.

3. Reflect on Key Relationships

The people around us shape our experiences, influence our growth, and often provide the strength we need to navigate life’s highs and lows. Reflecting on your key relationships helps you identify those who contributed to your well-being and success in 2024, ensuring that you carry these connections forward with gratitude and intention.

Why Relationships Are Essential for Well-Being and Success

The Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest-running study on human happiness, has found a profound link between the quality of relationships and overall well-being. The study highlights that happiness is not determined by wealth, fame, or career success—it is determined by the strength of our relationships.

Key Insights from the Study:

• Strong relationships improve emotional health, resilience, and longevity.
• Supportive connections help us navigate challenges and celebrate successes.
• People with meaningful relationships report higher levels of life satisfaction and fulfilment.

Identifying Supportive Individuals and Their Impact

Reflecting on your key relationships involves recognising who made a difference in your life and understanding how their presence contributed to your journey.

Ask yourself:

1. Who supported me during challenging times?
2. Who celebrated my successes and cheered me on?
3. Who motivated me to grow, taught me something new, or expanded my perspective?

Steps to identify and reflect on these connections:

1. Write down a list of people who had a meaningful impact on your 2024.
2. For each person, think about a specific moment or action that stood out.
3. Reflect on how their support influenced your growth or well-being.

Gratitude is the glue that strengthens connections. By acknowledging the role others have played in your journey, you deepen those bonds and foster an environment of trust, appreciation, and mutual growth.

Simple Ways to Show Gratitude:

1. Write a thank-you note or email expressing specific ways they’ve impacted your life.
2. Share your appreciation in person, making the interaction more personal and memorable.
3. Celebrate their contributions publicly, whether in a team meeting or a social media post (if appropriate).

Nurture these connections and ensure they remain a vital part of your life moving forward. By identifying the individuals who uplifted and inspired you in 2024, you will create a foundation of strong, meaningful relationships to carry into 2025.

Who made the biggest impact on your 2024? Take a moment to thank them.

4. Summarise Your Year in One Word

Choosing one word to encapsulate your year is a simple yet meaningful exercise. It helps you reflect on your journey, identify patterns, and connect with what stood out most. This single word becomes a lens through which you can view your growth, challenges, and lessons, making it easier to align your vision and goals for 2025.

Creates Clarity
Boiling down an entire year into one word forces you to focus on what truly matters, cutting through the noise and complexity of everyday life.
Provides a Theme
Your word becomes a shorthand for the tone, direction, and meaning of your year, helping you understand its overall impact on your growth.
Informs Your Future
Reflecting on your word can influence the tone and direction of the year ahead. Whether it’s a word of celebration, resilience, or gratitude, it carries the energy of your journey into the next chapter.

For example, if 2024 was filled with personal challenges that required perseverance, your word might be “resilience.” This not only honours your journey but also reminds you of your strength moving forward.

Examples of Impactful Words

Here are some examples to inspire you as you reflect on your 2024:
Growth
If this year pushed you to step out of your comfort zone and embrace new opportunities.
Resilience
If you faced obstacles but found the strength to overcome them.
Gratitude
If you spent the year appreciating the small joys and meaningful connections in your life.
Discovery
If you explored new passions, skills, or perspectives.
Balance
If 2024 was about finding harmony between different areas of your life.
Breakthrough
If you achieved a significant milestone or overcame a long-standing challenge.

If 2024 was a year of discovery for you, perhaps you learned new skills or explored new relationships. Choosing “discovery” as your word not only summarises the year but can also inspire you to continue exploring in 2025.

So, what’s one word that best describes your 2024?

5. Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You

Letting go isn’t about forgetting or being dismissive of the past. It’s about learning, freeing yourself from unnecessary burdens, and intentionally choosing what to carry forward.

To move forward with clarity and intention, it’s essential to identify the things that held you back in 2024 and consciously release them. This act of letting go is a commitment to your future self—a way to create space for new possibilities and growth in the year ahead.

Identifying What Held You Back in 2024

The first step in letting go is recognising the things that drained your energy or prevented you from reaching your full potential. These could include:
Fears
Fear of failure, judgment, or the unknown that kept you from taking risks.
Toxic Habits
Procrastination, negative self-talk, or unhealthy routines that hinder your progress.
Unhelpful Relationships
Connections that left you feeling unsupported, undervalued, or drained.
Regrets
Unfinished projects or missed opportunities that weigh heavily on your mind.

The Emotional and Mental Benefits of Letting Go

Letting go is as much about emotional and mental well-being as it is about personal growth. When you release what no longer serves you, you:

Reduce Stress
Freeing yourself from toxic patterns and relationships lowers anxiety and creates a sense of relief.
Gain Clarity
Letting go removes distractions and allows you to focus on what truly matters.
Boost Resilience
Recognising and releasing past burdens builds confidence and equips you to handle future challenges.

By releasing fears, regrets, and toxic habits, you create space for growth, new opportunities, and the energy needed to move forward with clarity and purpose. This step isn’t about forgetting the past but learning from it and choosing to focus on what will help you thrive in 2025.

Building a Strong Foundation for 2025

The Evaluation Phase builds the foundation for a purposeful and fulfilling 2025. By reflecting on your journey, celebrating your wins, and letting go of what no longer serves you, you create the clarity and direction needed to move forward with confidence.

Reflection allows you to honour your progress and understand the lessons of the past year. Celebration boosts your confidence, reminding you of your strengths and the habits that worked. Releasing negativity creates the space for new opportunities and growth. Together, these steps set the stage for intentional planning and meaningful action.

With the insights gained from evaluation, you’re now ready to move into the next phase: Design. This is where your aspirations transform into actionable goals, creating a roadmap that inspires and excites you.

What’s one insight you’ve gained from reflecting on 2024?

Let’s make this your most meaningful year yet!

All my best,