Reflect, Celebrate, and Plan: Wrapping Up 2024
As we approach the end of the year, it’s a perfect time to reflect and plan.
How's it been for you? If I'm honest, it's been pretty traumatic for me overall, but there have been lots of pockets of joy too.
And thinking of joy, the theme for the month over on my Conekto Pro Community, is the same one we have each year at this time – Celebration! 🥳🎉
What are you celebrating? 🍾
Last year I recounted to my community how I unexpectedly won a Growth Award at the inaugural national conference run by the founders of Business Buzz–the networking franchise I run for St Albans.
Well, this year we went one better and won an Event Excellence award! 🥇🏆 It's always nice to be recognised for all the hard work that we've put in over the last year. It was very fitting to win it on the day we did [Thursday 21st November], as that morning, I hosted St Albans Buzz and we had our highest attendance since lockdown! 👍🏾
Now, you may, or may not have won any awards this year, but you will have things to celebrate. I’d love to hear them in the comments.
It could be:
Getting that contract you were waiting for, for years
Finishing that years' long project
Making more money than last year
Crafting out regular time to care for yourself
Promoting yourself more
Effectively implementing AI in your work
Joining that supportive community
Celebrate your achievements
Whilst I was typing those ideas above, it got me thinking about how much I have actually achieved in 2024. I'll list some below, but it's so important to reflect, as it's easy to think the year was all negative.
When you stop and take that metaphorical look, you'll find so many more gems than you'll expect. And, reflecting means you can then plan ahead.
Here's a few things I've achieved this year which as I started this post, I didn't immediately remember!
Published my first novel Awaken 📓
Produced a video for said novel (Thanks Andy Scott!) 📹
Ran a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign 💷
Finally got my novel on Amazon* 📚
Published a friends book on my Renew Your Mind imprint 📕
Had our highest post lock down turnout for St Albans Buzz networking 👥
Won an Event Excellence award as mentioned above 🏆
Was able to take a 2 week holiday in Italy! 🇮🇹
[*Note: Amazon is great for reviews, but quality wise I would recommend purchasing direct from RichardMLalchan.com or from The Great British Bookshop both of which use different printers. Just sayin' 😊]
I'm sure I've missed out some major things too. When dealing with the personal issues I've had to deal with this year, I must be extremely grateful that I've been able to achieve what I have. How about you?
Reflect and plan
Finally, I like to leave this December post with some key questions you can use to reflect on the year past, and to plan for the year to come. I'm updating the questions this year, but if you want to see the original, check out this post here.
What went well for me in 2024?
What was it that made each achievement go well?
What didn't go so well in 2024?
What was it that led to each event not going so well?
What have I learnt from both the good and bad in 2024?
What would I like to achieve in 2025?
What would help me achieve everything I have listed above?
Imagine looking back on 2025, from January 2026. How would I like to describe the year?
I'd love to know how you get on with reflecting and planning. Feel free to pop any ideas in the comments. Did you find those questions useful?
Happy Christmas! 🎄
So that's it for this month, and indeed for posts in 2024!
When you break for Christmas, remember to truly have some downtime - and that includes away from any electronic screens. Spend as much time as you can celebrating with family and friends, and get outdoors. Trust me, you thank me for it! 😉
