Test: What do you need most from a personal review?

If you’ve felt like you’ve been treading water or even swimming against the tide this year, you may be looking for progress in the wrong places. Big life changes that bring acknowledgement from others aren’t the only way to assess your personal growth. A year-end review is the ideal opportunity to reflect on the less tangible changes that may be happening unacknowledged while you get on with daily life.

Celebrating how you’ve grown as a person can also be an antidote to feelings of restlessness or stuckness. When you’re self-aware and curious about life, you’re learning all the time, even when you’re not consciously seeking new knowledge through formal teaching. But even significant shifts in self-knowledge or self-awareness can sometimes feel intangible so it’s good to invest some time in acknowledging progress in your own personal growth, however small. Journalling is the ideal way to reflect on what you’ve learned about yourself, other people and the life in general.

Is there anything you have accepted about yourself and let go of trying to change this year? Did you discover something that brings you joy, or commit to something that improves your quality of life? You may find the signs that you’re not the same person you were 12 months ago are once if you help yourself to notice them.