Reviewing 2024 Achievements and Goal Setting for 2025.

I felt inspired today to share some reflections on year end reviewing for 2024 as well as goal setting for 2025, in this final newsletter for the year from FPR Executive Coaching.

As we reflect on the past year and our individual achievements, I'd like to invite us all to evaluate our year end within a sensible context and framework and not purely in isolation. For example 2024 has been a challenging year economically all round, with high inflation and challenging budgetary pressures. Therefore, it may have been impossible to secure budget for that new ad; or make that new team hire, leading to a year end performance review perhaps being less than gold standard.

I'd like to invite a reframe and encourage us to look at what has been achieved in spite of the tough economics and environment and difficulties faced. So we might start by asking ourselves:

-What have we achieved in spite of all the challenges?

-What have we learnt about ourselves and how we deal with difficulty?

-What new skills have we gained from our experience?

-What will we take forward into 2025?

Many of us may have had to deal with all sorts of adversity: job loss, unexpected redundancy, health challenges, so be kind and compassionate with self as we look back. Let's focus on the gains, however small, and celebrate them in spite of everything else we faced as well.

"Comparison is the thief of joy," quote by Theodore Roosevelt is a favourite, all time quote of mine. It can be easy to compare our year end reviews with those of others, as the posts fill our feed and we can feel disheartened. Again, let's try and refrain from this comparative activity and let's stay focussed on our own evaluation, our own wins, our own growth, our own gains in spite of all the challenging macro economic circumstances and give ourselves a well deserved pat on the back. We are still here, still standing with new learning for the coming new year.

Founders please be kind to ourselves if 2024 has under-delivered for us. Try and see what we have learnt from setting up our own business and what has been gained with appreciation. It can take a while to build awareness and reach of our offering, so perhaps let's take a minute to evaluate what has worked vs. what could be improved for 2025? Perhaps a return to part-time work is on the cards. If so, this is a strength and a support to achieving the longer term business building goal and testament to resilience. So again try and look at the bigger picture.

Goal Setting for 2025:

This can be exciting and we can be inclined to start by writing a long list, tagging on all the things we didn't tick off the list in 2024.

Let's try not to do this. Instead try the following steps:

-Focus on 3 main goals that will impact our career/business/growth plan.

-Reflect on how we will achieve these goals and how we will resource ourself through the periods of hard work?

-How will we know when we have achieved the goals and how will we measure and celebrate success.

Taking the time to really articulate goals and prioritise them means we will spend our time focussing on what matters most to us and our values and be more likely to succeed.

A great way to bring our goals to life is to create a vision board, using great pictures that bring our goals to life. This aids reflection and prioritisation and can be a lot of fun too, helping us stay on track and manifest.

Keeping ourself accountable is key too, so perhaps sharing with friends, #Linkedin, other networking communities can keep us on track. It can also conversely create pressure so do choose a method that will support and not stress.

Self care is key to achieving big goals; taking care of physical, emotional and mental health and surrounding ourselves with support and inspiration.

I hope these tips help make our 2024 reviews and 2025 goal setting a meaningful and positive experience.

If you'd like support in goal setting for 2025, please reach out and DM me, I'd be very happy to support you. I am a fully certified and accredited Executive Coach, helping leaders in the Marketing/Advertising/Insight and MRX sectors.

I'd like to thank you all for subscribing to and supporting this newsletter in 2024 and look forward to being back in 2025.

Happy run up to the holiday season and best wishes to you all.