As we reach the end of another year, it is easy to move on and start thinking about the next one quickly. 

But before diving into the new year, it’s important to take a moment to stop, look back, and reflect on all that you have achieved in the past year. 

I know first-hand just how easy it is to keep moving forward, but I promise you that pausing to reflect on what you’ve accomplished is crucial. It’s these moments, big or small, that remind you why you do what you do, give you a much-needed boost, and help kick imposter syndrome to the curb.

How to Remember What You’ve Achieved

First of all, let’s talk about how to remember everything you’ve achieved this year (cause, let’s be real, it can be difficult to remember what you did 365 days ago!).

1. Scroll Your Camera Roll

Your camera roll probably have lots of screenshots, photos, social media posts you’ve uploaded, Instagram stories you’ve shared etc, so why not use that to your advantage?!

I love to look through my camera roll to refresh my memory of what I have done throughout the year, so give that a try!

2. Check Your Social Media

Similar to that is scrolling through your social media posts. Go through your Instagram feed and stories archives. You’ll be surprised at how many achievements you rediscover from doing this!

I will look back through my full Instagram feed all the way back until the start of the year and then do the same with my story archives, too. By doing this, you’ll remind yourself of events, launches, collaborations and all sorts of thongs that you did in the last year that you may have forgotten about! 

3. Go Through Your Emails and Messages

On that same wavelength, check your emails, messages, DM’s, etc. If you have a client folder, go through that and see what you did there!

4. Look Through Your Calendar

I also recommend going back through your calendar because that will show you events that you went to, launches you had, meetings you had, and more.

If you have a journal or a physical planner, you might also find it helpful to flick back through those and see what you did throughout the year.

So, those are just a few top tips for remembering what you have achieved. Now, let’s look at how to celebrate those achievements!

How to Celebrate Your Wins

1. Write It Down

First and foremost, write your achievements down! Whether it’s on paper or a digital note, write everything you achieved down in a list so you can look at it.

These might be big things, or they may be “small”. No matter their size, they deserve to be celebrated, so write them down on your list. It can be really special to see everything that you've done in a whole year written down and just think, "Wow, I did all of that. Look at me go!” It’s really quite cool.

2. Write a Letter to Yourself

This is one I actually do every quarter, and then at the end of every year – and that’s to write myself a letter. We do this in our quarterly and yearly planning sessions inside The Next Level Creative™ where everybody writes themselves a letter with this website called FutureMe.

You can either write a whole list of wins down and then say, “Hey, look at everything I achieved this year. I’m really proud of myself, etc”, or you can write it in full letter form. FutureMe will then send it to you again whenever you set it to, which is great because then it reminds you to do it again for next year too!

3. Treat Yourself

You could do this however you want to–whether that’s getting a new journal or something big you’ve been dreaming about. It might be a sweet treat or something else that just feels right for you. Reward yourself for a year well done.

4. Share Your Wins

Post a recap of your wins on social media, send it to your email list, or share it with your community. Whether it’s a carousel, a reel, or a newsletter, sharing your journey with others can be incredibly rewarding.

5. Tell Your Loved Ones

Last but not least, tell the people that you love the most. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your partner. Show them what you have achieved and tell them how proud of yourself you are!

Tell your biz bestie, tell your coach, tell other self-employed business owners (cause they get it!) No matter who you tell, make sure they know how proud of yourself you are and get them to celebrate with you!

So, that is my quick message for you this holiday season. Take a second to stop, reflect on this year, look at all that you have achieved, and really celebrate yourself!

Amid Christmas and New Year and the in-between season, take five, 10 or 15 minutes to set some time aside to look through your camera roll, scroll your social media, go back through your messages, calendar and journal and look at all of the amazing things you have done.

For your homework… Tell me at least ONE thing you have achieved this year that you’re proud of! You can find me on Threads and Instagram. Tell me one thing you’re proud of - I can’t wait to celebrate with you!