Reflections for the End of the Year 2018 – 2019

As we saw in one of the 6 tips for your Christmas campaign, today is a good day to publish and take advantage of April Fool’s Day. However, I’m not here to pull a prank on you (as I’ve already done on social media ☺️). I propose some good questions you should ask yourself to end the year, reflecting on the nearly finished year 2018 and focusing on the upcoming year 2019. Although they can be applied both personally and professionally (I encourage you to do it in both aspects), I wanted to take the opportunity to answer them myself, promoting transparency and humanization on my part. I’d love to hear your answers in the comments!

What was your greatest success in 2018?

First, and where you should always start, let’s begin with the positive part of the year. Sometimes, we quickly forget the good things that happened and only focus on the bad, overshadowing them. We must go against that tendency, preparing the mind to face the bad things starting from and prioritizing the good ones. If there’s more than one success, even better.

It will also help you feel proud of it (or them), boost your self-esteem, and realize that, even if it’s hard, you achieve what you set out to do. Being an entrepreneur is tough and sometimes it’s hard to find the milestones, but I’m sure you’ll achieve it with some reflection.

In my case, my greatest success was stepping out of my comfort zone, training in a new field for me, and starting my personal brand through this blog. As you can see, the greatest success is sometimes a combination of several. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of it, as you’ve contributed knowledge not only professionally but also personally. Thank you!

What was your biggest failure in 2018?

Now the part that may be easier, but don’t overdo it. Analyze and reflect on the biggest failure you made this year. Don’t be ashamed, it’s completely normal and necessary to keep evolving. We tend to fear crises, but what we don’t know is that they’re always growth crises.

If you feel anger or rage, try to connect with sadness, as it will serve as a bridge during the growth stage. In entrepreneurship, it’s easy to make mistakes since we have to make many decisions and we don’t always get them right. Identifying them and reflecting on them will help us improve our judgment and increase our success rate.

Professionally, my biggest failure was being too trusting and malleable, and not delegating responsibilities properly for the growth of others. At all times, we must know where our limits are and what we are (not) willing to allow. That’s not a synonym for being better or worse people, but for being ourselves. Of course, I also thank all the people involved in this point (without judging or blaming anyone), as you’ve contributed to my growth both professionally and personally (again). This section can be even more important than the previous one, so thank you!

What things would you change in your life? What would be the path to change them?

Describe the year 2018 and the upcoming 2019 in one word

We now know what our successes and failures of 2018 were, as well as the goals for this new year 2019. Now let’s synthesize both years into a single word that will help us know where we come from and where we are going (once again), reinforcing it in our minds and motivating us for the new year. In the case of the next year, we can establish it as our mantra or that central idea we should not forget at any time.

For me, 2018 was undoubtedly “change” and 2019 is and will be “growth”.

Reflect on your social circle (and surprise them this year with a personalized greeting)

Surely many of us have already received messages through some messaging app congratulating us this season, and maybe they even made us smile. But what do you think about doing something a little different this year for those we care about? Just like we did in the previous sections, take a moment to reflect on your social or professional circle. Do you think there’s something worth highlighting? Maybe acknowledge a mistake you made with them or congratulate them on a good job they’ve done in some aspect. Be creative, humble, and prioritize the good. I’m sure you’ll pleasantly surprise more than one person.

I want to make a special mention and thank my dear friend José Luis Marín for his post in his Entrepreneurs Facebook group. It was a great help and inspiration for this article, thank you!

If one of your New Year's goals includes growing your team, creating synergy, or starting your own project, remember that I’m just two clicks (or fewer) away if you need me. You just have to use the form at the top right or one of the contact methods on my homepage. I’d be delighted to talk with you and offer my advice!