Hello December
It’s surreal to think that we are in the last month of 2022, it feels like the year has flown by and what an eventful year it has been not only in the UK but globally! Perhaps this year has been a difficult one for you, as it has been for many who have experienced significant life changes, losses, anxiety due to the cost of living crisis and other personal challenges. Whether this year has been one of your best so far or one you would rather forget, I hope that this post will help you to gain some perspective and clarity as we come towards the end of the year.
An appraisal or end of year review is common practice in most companies to evaluate an employee’s performance over the year. This is a process that I believe we should adopt in our personal lives, it's easy to become busy and consumed with things that do not align with your priorities. Doing an end of year review can feel quite daunting and anxiety inducing when things have not gone according to plan, but it can create an opportunity for you to gain the clarity that you need to make changes moving forward. Avoiding your current reality will not change it, confronting the issues you have no matter how uncomfortable it may make you feel during the process and addressing those issues one by one is where the process to change will come.
Set aside some time this month to review your year and set it in your calendar (procrastination is real), I have created some prompts to guide you but expand on them as you feel necessary.
End year review prompts
Experiences: Make a list of the experiences you have had that impacted you the most this year, this could be a combination of difficult experiences as well as positive ones (aim to list at least 4 experiences).
Once you have written your list, rank your top 3 impactful experiences and write down any life lessons you may have learned from those experiences and any experiences that you feel are currently affecting you negatively.
Financial wellbeing prompts:
Make a list of the positive aspects of your current finances
Make a list of the things you would like to see change in your finances over the next year
Are there any habits you currently have that are affecting you positively financially?
Are there any habits you currently have that are affecting you negatively financially? (If so, select at least one habit to focus on building)
If you find yourself wondering where your money is going each month analyse at least 1 months worth of your bank statements, choose a month that represents how you typically spend. Take time to review your transactions and categorise each expense.
[Example categories: Bills, Groceries, Eating out, Travel, Leisure, Clothing & Footwear, Health & Wellbeing, Gifts, Debt repayments etc.]
End of year offer: From 1st December 2022-31st December 2022 get 10% off all coaching services using code: EOY22 at checkout.
Goals: If you had set goals for 2022, review the progress you have made on those goals.
Are you happy with the progress you have made on your goals?
What’s gone well & what could you improve on moving forward?
What are the goals that you want to work towards in 2023? Do those goals align with your priorities?
What are some of the actions you need to take to help you to achieve your goals?
When setting goals be specific about what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it. Be ambitious but realistic about the length of time it may take for you to achieve your goal. Once you have completed your end of year review, write down any insights you gained and summarise 3 key things that you need to focus on going forward in 2023.
I hope you found this month's blog post useful. I'll be posting monthly blogs at the beginning of each month with useful tips, prompts and topics to help you to improve your personal finances and wellbeing.
Let me know what topics you'd like me to cover over the next year in the comments.
-Peta-Kay
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