My 2023 was fascinating. It taught me so much about what works for me and what doesn't work, in general, as well as specific circumstances and people that can dictate whether or not something works for me.
Retrospective Options
Annual retrospectives are illuminating as they lay bare the realities of how you're spending your precious time. For example, in 2023, I spent way too much time trying to convince people of the wisdom and benefits of self-awareness and nervous system regulation. Other people might love that and consider it "marketing." But life is short, and if you're not committed to learning how to meet and befriend what shows up inside and outside of your mind and body, I'm not the person who's going to sell you on that. Now, if you're sold and you want guidance and it's time to get down to the business of figuring yourself out, I'm your person.
Guess what I'm doing more of, and less of, in 2024?
Here are some options for your retrospective (and I wrote about Three Horizons recently, which I adore):
Shane Parrish's 7 Questions
A bunch over at Mural (which includes the insightful W3 approach by Liberating Structures)
A board you can create at EasyRetro
What I like about this one is that it doesn't let you forget that you need an action plan.
If AI chats are more up your alley, Claude started me off with a deep dive into my year, and, true to form, Pi was a lot lighter.
Retrospectives were created by Agile software development teams in the 1990s as part of their "inspect and adapt" principle of improvement. They help you think of yourself as a living product in a process of continuous iteration. That's what personal development is.
The Fresh Start Effect supports the idea that this is a skillful time to take a longview, and for me, that means 1,000 years. What's the planet going to be like in 1,000 years? What would it be like if there were 20 billion of me? What could I do to improve the future, right now?
And on a super-micro level, who do I want to be in 2024 and what kind of impact do I want to have on that year and the people I come in contact with?
I love adapting. I love that I have a flexible mind (and body!). I love that I can imagine a better future.
Imagining is the first step in the creative process. And life is a creative process. What world will you create in 2024?
Happy imagining!
mm