As 2023 draws to a close, it’s time for our annual introspection and reflection. We’ve all set professional and personal goals - some lofty, some practical. Regardless of achievement, the attempt itself warrants self-appraisal. This goal mapping exercise allows us to visualize our aspirations, efforts and outcomes. More importantly, it builds self-awareness to align our objectives for 2024.
Let’s Start With Our Goal Map
Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a large circle in the center. Write ‘2023’ within this circle - this represents the year we are analyzing. Now draw branched lines from this central circle, each line labeled with a core area of focus - Health, Wealth, Relationships, Personal Growth, Career. These will be the main anchors of our goal mapping.
Under each anchor area, note down your specific 2023 goals and aspirations. For instance, under Career you may have plugged - launch startup, get promoted, find mentor. Make this an extensive brain dump of all goals, big and small. Don’t overthink relevance or categorization at this stage. Our aim is to first pool together our various targets.
Evaluating Our Goals
Now comes the reflective part. Take each goal and sincerely evaluate its progress. Did you accomplish it completely? Are you still working towards it? Did you not even commence it? Did it remain dormant as other priorities took over? Did it stop making sense at some point during 2023? Whatever its status, document it next to the goal. There are no rights or wrongs here folks...just honesty!
This can be quite enlightening. We assume our goals are etched in stone when we ring in the year. But life happens...energies shift, new callings emerge. Priorities change along with circumstances. Sometimes the very relevance of a goal fades. Mapping out which goals we chased, which we pivoted from and which we never acted on despite our initial conviction...this holds up a mirror to the ever-changing nature of our needs and motives.
The Insights We Gain
Beyond just cataloging achievement levels against hundreds of goals, the act of grouping goals into key areas reveals insightful patterns. Perhaps you framed 6 different goals under Relationships - acquire more friends, reconnect with college buddies, devote weekday evenings to family etc. The multitude of goals under this one anchor area demonstrates that relationships were a key priority for you this year.
Or maybe Career has just one unachieved goal tagged to it - clear PMP certification. The fact that no other career-related goal made your list indicates that other spheres of life took precedence for you in 2023.
Visualizing goals through such grouping and affiliation uncovers which spheres energized or challenged us the most this year. It builds self-awareness around where we funneled most of our efforts (or didn’t), which targets remains unfinished business and which objectives held deep personal value irrespective of outcome.
Learnings to Anchor Into 2024
This goal mapping reflection is incomplete without recording our chief learnings around each goal, especially unfinished ones. Why didn’t we make headway? What obstructed us? How can we adapt strategy for success? Note down these learning alongside each goal.
Also document any pivots or shifts that altered your goal midway in 2023. Did a change in workplace policies make that promotion goal redundant? Did a shift to freelancing make chasing startup funding unnecessary? Mapping out these goal shifts demonstrates our nimbleness and adaptability in the face of change.
Carry the biggest lesson from each learning and pivot into 2024 as advice from our future self. This prevents us from repeating mistakes or getting derailed by the same obstacles. It provides guiding principles for defining smarter goals aligned to our new knowledge.
Maps Help Us Navigate
With the pace of life getting faster, goal tracking happens on need-to basis. But this annual mapping exercise gifts us something incredibly valuable - perspective. We view with clarity which goals we chased furiously and which we abandoned subconsciously. We identify patterns in our choices and behaviors, which serves as input for smarter goal alignment.
As we enter the new year, may we feel pride for our grit, self-compassion for our struggles and the wisdom to frame our 2024 goals gently yet intentionally. The lessons from the past guide us, not define us. Onward and upward folks!
I sincerely hope this annual goal mapping exercise brought you more clarity than anxiety. If reflecting on 2023 gives rise to some emotions you need help processing or goals you need guidance framing for next year, do reach out! I would be happy to offer my services as your leadership coach and mentor as you step into 2024 with renewed vision. Wishing you much inner peace and achievement of all that you courageously aspire for!