But first we will reframe.
We’ve been reviewed all our lives. From the red baby book monitoring our height and weight to termly school reports and the dreaded appraisal. Checking in and checking off progress, love it or hate it, is a part of life.
We expect to have regular reviews at work but why hasn’t this translated for life as a whole?
Why don’t we prioritise thinking about the things that are most important to us, what it will take to make progress in those areas and then create a plan? Why do the boring work projects get that level of scrutiny and we leave the rest of our lives to chance?
Bronnie Ware was a palliative care nurse who wrote a book called ‘The top five regrets of the dying’ and the top regret was this:
At the end of their lives, when time had run out, most of the people Ware cared for realised how many of their dreams had gone unfulfilled.
No one aims for it to be this way. If you think back to the day you left school, graduated from university or started your first 'proper' job it was probably a mixture of absolute terror and excited anticipation. This was when life was going to begin!
There are the ups and the downs. The life changing promotions. The births and the deaths. Life speeds up.
And then you find yourself at 40, 50 or 60 years old wondering when you're ever going to find the time to do those things that you really want to do that aren't part of the day job. Those pipe dreams that won't go away but never get to the top of the pile.
If you’re reading this and nodding but are looking for a sign to make the changes you desire then I'd suggest a global pandemic is it. Now is the time. What is braver than stating what you really, really want and then every year going after it? With intent. And a clear plan.
It's time for your annual review!
I promise my review
is insightful, fun and useful. I've deliberately not given you masses of space to write to keep you focused and moving forward. Just print it out, put pen to paper and then keep it close for the next 365 days.
It’s my Christmas gift to you and it's yours, for free, right here.
