Episode 2: The Year You Lived vs. The Year You Planned
Why a year that didn't go according to plan can still be a year worth celebrating.
Remember January?
Maybe you started the year with a fresh planner, a handful of goals, and a pretty good idea of what you wanted the next twelve months to look like. You had things you wanted to accomplish, habits you wanted to establish, and experiences you hoped to have.
And now, here we are, approaching the end of another year.
How much of the year you've actually lived looks like the year you planned? For most of us, the answer is probably not as much as we'd expected. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
We Make Plans With Incomplete Information
Think about it. Every January, we make plans for a year we haven't lived yet. We base those plans on what we know, what we want, and what we believe will matter over the coming months. But we don't know what's coming.
We don't know what opportunities will appear, what challenges we'll face, or what we'll discover about ourselves along the way. And yet, when the end of the year approaches, we often measure our success against the expectations we established eleven months earlier. We look at what didn't happen. What we didn't finish. What we didn't accomplish. And sometimes we start telling ourselves that we fell short.
A changed plan isn't necessarily a failed plan. Sometimes it's evidence that we've learned something worth paying attention to.
Your Year Was More Than a Checklist
When we evaluate our year, we tend to focus on measurable accomplishments. Did we reach our goals? Make enough money? Finish the project? Establish the habit? Those things have their place. But they don't tell the whole story.
What about the meaningful conversations you had? The people who showed up for you? The unexpected opportunities? The courage it took to make a difficult decision? The ordinary moments that made life enjoyable? Those things count, too. And sometimes, when we're so focused on what didn't happen, we forget to appreciate everything that did.
The Unexpected Parts Matter, Too
Maybe this year brought changes you never anticipated.
Maybe you had to reconsider something you thought you wanted. Maybe your priorities shifted. Maybe you discovered that the life you were working toward wasn't quite the life you wanted to live. Or maybe this year was simply hard.
You don't have to pretend every experience was wonderful. You don't have to turn every disappointment into an inspirational lesson. But you can acknowledge the difficult parts without allowing them to define the entire year. Because the last chapter was never the whole story. There were other moments. Other people. Other experiences. And they deserve to be remembered, too.
Before You Look Ahead, Look Back
As we approach the end of the year, there's going to be plenty of conversation about resolutions, fresh starts, and new goals.
And there's nothing wrong with looking ahead. But before you decide what you want to accomplish next year, I want to encourage you to spend a little time recognizing the year you've already lived. Not just the accomplishments. Not just the disappointments. All of it.
The memories. The lessons. The unexpected turns. The people. The moments that mattered. Because your year was more than a checklist. It was twelve months of your actual life. And that's worth remembering.
Your Back to You Question
If you stopped measuring this year against what you planned, what might you discover about the year you actually lived?
Take a few minutes to think about that question. You might be surprised by what comes to mind.
Ready to Look Back?
I created the Look Back reflection guide to help you remember, reflect, and recognize the year you've lived.
Through thoughtful questions, a twelve-month memory map, creative exercises, and opportunities to recognize your own growth, you'll revisit the moments that made this year yours.
Because before you start planning your next chapter, it's worth remembering the story you've already lived.
Get your copy of Look Back by clicking below.
