4 steps to assess your personal growth over the last year 🎆

Do either of these describe your last year?

The last year was rotten, and you feel like you could have accomplished more.

The last year rocked, and you feel like you hit your goals and then some!

Whichever one you picked, they both represent how you feel. But how did you actually do?

Follow these steps to objectively realize how you grew this last year.

Comparison is the thief of joy. - Theodore Roosevelt

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. - Gautama Buddha

This is about you and where you are.

This is not about where you compare with other people.

This is about taking stock of where you were and where you are.

You may have reached goals and advanced in some areas. You may not have seen the development you wanted in others. That's ok. Be truthful and accept where you are.

First, decide what goals mattered to you in the last year.

Perfecting circle drawing for Art class or gaining responsibility at work only matter if either of those were important to you. If perfecting your handstand or building your emergency fund were where you put your energy, however, then circles are cool but not relevant.

Second, choose how to measure your progress.

You can determine progress by actions completed (going on a long bicycle trip with friends) or by using quantifiable variables (miles bicycled).

Below are some suggestions of measurement types.

Physical health

• Finding a doctor to diagnose what was bothering you

• Blood pressure measurements

• Staying sober

  

  Mental health

• Finding and/or going to a therapist

• Managing symptoms

• How you feel

Finances

• Amount saved in an emergency fund

• Paying off a car loan

• Credit score

Living Space

• Keeping houseplants alive

• Keeping spaces clean

• Painting or re-decorating

School / Academics

• Grades and graduation

• Acceptance to programs

• Papers published

Relationships

• Going "no contact" with a harmful family member

• Coming out

• Having roommates that you like

• Reconnecting with old friends

Work / Career

• Receiving a raise

• Finding a new job

• Annual evaluation grade

• Earning a Sommelier certification

Art, Hobbies, and Passions

• Completing a quilt

• Figuring out how to draw hands

• Submitting a story for publication (and having it accepted!)

• Hours volunteered

To determine where you were with any of these measurements, you don't need to rely on your memory. Some helpful sources are:

• Social media archives

• Journals

• Email archives

• Past bank statements

• Conversations with friends and family

Whether you feel you've ended your year "better" or "worse" than you started it, your reflection will point out what went well and what went poorly.

For example, Cy in the question above looked through his resources.

Prescription Records

• He changed medication once during the year.

• For one month, he stopped taking his medication, evidenced by not filling his prescription that month.

Fitbit Sleep Records

• He's getting better sleep.

• His one month without medication was accompanied by restless sleep.

Talking To Friends

• They notice that he's more active and seems more "at peace" with himself than before.

Self Reflection

• He just feels better!

Therapy Journal

• He made a lot of progress on determining and coping with common triggers for his depression, and his medication helped with this.

• The month where he didn't re-fill his prescription showed some of his old feelings and habits creeping back in.

By evaluating his year, he's noticed that he's gained mental health overall, but he's also learned that his medication is an important part of his treatment, for the time being at least.

Being willing to look back on your year and measure your success is brave! You're doing a great job just by deciding to do this. You'll learn so much about what did and didn't work!