I wasn’t planning to write an annual review, in fact I’ve never written one before. Usually I get to December or January and start planning the next set of goals and objectives, with little thought for what I have achieved over the past year. This year, however, I read a great post by Benny Hsu over at Get Busy Living and it inspired me to write my own annual review, using the really helpful template that Benny provides.
This year has been a big one for me. Realizing that the only limits to what I can achieve in life are the ones I place on myself has given me a completely new perspective on life and enabled me to do a number of things that I previously would have thought impossible or beyond me. What surprises me the most as I review how much I’ve achieved this year, is that the only thing that has changed is my perspective on what is possible.
10 greatest things that happened in the past year:
1. Becoming a blogger
2. Deciding to quit my job and travel the world
3. Completing my AFF level 1 skydive
4. Giving my first ever speech
5. Climbing the highest peak in North Africa, Mount Toubkal
7. Performing a stand-up comedy set
8. Finally visiting Italy having wanted to for many years
9. Moving in with my oldest and closest friend
10. Discovering my life purpose.
I am most proud of these three accomplishments from last year:
1. Creating and maintaining this blog, Life is Limitless
2. Quitting my job in order to achieve my dreams of traveling the world
3. Finding the courage to do a skydive.
Three great lessons I’ve learned from last year are:
1. That anything is possible if we remove the limits we place on ourselves
2. That life is short and that I want to cram as much as I can into every minute
3. That I have the ability to define my own success.
Three personal developments I have made in the past year are:
1. Learning the art and practice of self-care and taking responsibility for getting my needs met
2. Attending Toastmasters in order to improve my public speaking skills
If I could do things again last year, I would do these three things differently:
1. I would have started to de-clutter my life far sooner
2. I would have made more of an effort to save money for my forthcoming travels
3. I would have stood up for myself more in the workplace.
Three things I need to do less of in the next year are:
1. Eating unhealthy foods
2. Staring at a computer screen
3. Limiting myself.
Three things I need to do more of in the next year are:
1. Physical exercise
2. Working on my blog
3. Connecting with like-minded people.
Three things I need to stop completely doing in the next year are:
1. Doubting myself
2. Worrying about the reactions people might have to what I write on this blog
3. Allowing the negativity of others to affect me.
Three reasons I didn’t achieve my goals from this past year are:
1. Underestimating how much time my day job takes up
2. Setting too many goals
3. Pushing myself too hard, leading to burn out.
Three goals I want to achieve next year are:
1. Launch a personal development product
2. Start coaching
3. Travel the world.
Three reasons why I want to achieve these goals are:
1. I want to start earning money doing and creating things that I love
2. I want to start doing work that benefits others
3. I want to see as much of the world as I can.
Smartest decision I made this year:
The smartest decision I made was to finally acknowledge that the default measures of success that I grew up with don’t work for me. Redefining what success means for me and starting to live by my own definition of success rather than that of others has completely changed my life.
Biggest risk I took this year:
Quitting my job to follow my dreams.
One sentence that sums up this past year:
2011 goes down as the year that I started living without limits.
One year from right now, I want to my ideal day to look like this:
My ideal day would include the following:
- Waking up feeling rested and excited about the day ahead.
- Spending time exploring the world around me.
- Having new experiences.
- Doing activities that expand my comfort zone.
- Spending time writing and doing work that helps others.
- Creating
- Connecting with other courageous people who share my passion for life and who are living their true purpose.
- Going to bed feeling like I made a contribution to the world I live in.
I have a feeling that next year is going to be EVEN bigger and better than this year was for me and I hope that you continue to follow this blog and join me on what promises to be one hell of an adventure.
How was 2011 for you? Do you have big plans for next year? I’d love to hear how your year has been. Until next week, hope you have a very Happy Christmas! If you’ve enjoyed my review please do share by hitting one of the buttons below.
Hi there, I'm Caroline. Welcome to Life is Limitless, my blog about personal development with a focus on facing fears and living a life without limits. Check out my about page to find out more and pop your email in the box below to subscribe for regular updates.
Hi Caroline,
Nice work on the annual review (and the contents thereof!).
I’m most impressed by your confidence to do stand-up comedy out of your lists and my mountain beats yours
We have similar life achievements, must be part of living the limitless life. I recorded my Toastmaster’s icebreaker, and I’ll be posting it on my site soon as you have done.
I wish you all the best for 2012.
Cheers,
Chris
Chris Stott recently posted..Leveraging 3rd Party Platforms A.K.A. Social Media
Thanks Chris! Don’t worry ‘your’ mountain is on ‘my’ list for next year
I can’t wait to see your icebreaker video. I have my CC2 on Jan the 11th and I’m hoping to improve on my first speech. Did you see Adam Baker’s TEDx talk? It inspired me to work harder at my public speaking. I wish you all the best for 2012 also and I look forward to following your journey!
Thanks. Will check out Adam’s speech. Here’s mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pyxITvTeEg
Chris Stott recently posted..Leveraging 3rd Party Platforms A.K.A. Social Media
Chris brilliant speech. I thought you came across really well and obviously I loved the subject matter! You made plans for your second one yet?
Thanks Caroline! Not sure abut my second speech yet, I think it’ll be about living the primal/Paleo way.
I thought you did a great job on your speech as someone who openly says they are not comfortable with public speaking (it doesn’t bother me really). Good luck for your next one!
Chris Stott recently posted..Winding Down
Nice stuff. It was in the last quarter of ’11 that things really began to shift for me. Scary to think what life will be like in a year if I can sustain the same momentum.
Will – My Spanish Adventure recently posted..My ABC’s of Travel
Will I have no doubt that 2012 will be incredible for you and I can’t wait to follow your journey! Happy New Year!
Sounds to me like 2011 was a cracking year for you.. one that has allowed you to finally learn who you are & want to be and taking steps towards making your own path. This year has led me to a similar conclusion… good luck with 2012!
Charis recently posted..Restaurant Etiquette…
Hi Charis, thanks for this comment – I think you’ve summed up my year so well – finally learning who I am and want to be, perfectly put. I’m so pleased you’ve had a similar year – all the best for 2012 – it sounds like it’s going to be a good one for you!
This is great! What a fab template – what an amazing and great year you have had – I really do believe that next year will be AWESOME for you, and I am so excited for you!! Thank you for sharing your wisdom darling xxx
Thanks Dee for your lovely comment
xx
Congrats on a great year Caroline! I really enjoyed reading your answers. Setting too many goals spreads us too thin. I like to focus on three big goals for the year. Along the way, we’ll be able to reach a bunch of smaller goals by focusing on three big ones.
I’ve added your review to the end of my post. Hope more people will come over to read yours.
Look forward to seeing what’s up your sleeve in 2012!
Benny recently posted..2011 Year in Review
Thanks Benny, I agree with you on setting too many goals, it’s something I’m often guilty off but I figure as long as I don’t beat myself up for not achieving everything on my list then it doesn’t do too much harm does it?
Thanks for adding my review! Happy New Year!
Caroline,
I never do annual reviews either. And i decided to do one for the first time too. LOL.
I enjoyed reading your accomplishments. it’s truly an inspiration to see just how someone else can accomplish and keeps me in check with my own.
I think we have a lot of the same goals too which makes sense since we’re kind of in the same space online.
My greatest feat in 2011 was living semi nomadically with my family of 5 for almost a year and then moving to France. It literally took all my energy.
Next year, i also want to create products based on things i love and start coaching. I have no idea how that’s going to pan out as i don’t have any formal training but that’s just me being negative.
Merry christmas . i think 2012 is going to be a big year for you.
Annie Andre ( Chief Adventureologist) recently posted..How To Teach Your Kids To Be Adventurous: The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Hi Annie, thanks for your lovely comment. I agree that it helps inspire me to read about others accomplishments and often gives me new ideas of things that I want to try. Your nomadic achievements are impressive indeed and I can’t wait to do something similar, albeit without a family in tow! I look forward to following your journey as you create products and begin coaching, maybe we could share tips with each other along the way! Happy New Year
Wow! Looks like you had a kick-butt year, Caroline! I love the format for reviewing the year Benny provided. I think I’ll go through the exercise just for the benefit of so thoroughly reviewing my year.
My biggest blog-related accomplishments this year were to start my blog, redesign the look and feel of the site (thanks to some technical and artistic help from some friends and family), create my first ebook and do MUCH better than I thought I would with Steve’s Best Blogs contest.
KenWert@MeanttobeHappy recently posted..The Sexiness of Happiness
Hi Ken, I agree the format that Benny provided was thought-provoking indeed. Also huge congratulations on winning Steve’s best personal development award, I can’t think of anyone more deserving! A couple of things you achieved this year are on my to do list for 2012. Here’s to another productive year for both of us!
Like you, I’ve never done a life annual review and I loved Benny’s Annual Review template. I wasn’t going to post my results, but reading your post has inspired me to make my review public and share it on my blog.
I am starting Toastmasters in January at a new club chartered through my employer. I’m very excited for the opportunity to improve my speaking & presentation skills, and gain the confidence and trust I want to have in myself!
Congratulations on your 2011 progress and best wishes for continuing progress in 2012!
Chrysta
Chrysta Bairre recently posted..Don’t take life too seriously
Thanks Chrysta! How exciting that you are starting Toastmasters – I hope you love it as much as I do. If your meeting is anything like mine, it’s such a supportive environment in which to grow as a speaker, I look forward to hearing how you get on. Thank you for your kind wishes and all the best for a wonderful New Year for you!