How to take stock of your year

2024: The Year I Only Read 2 Books

Hey, it’s Wamide. Welcome to issue #46 of OnGrowth&, a monthly newsletter on personal and career growth 🌱🚀

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If you’re reading this before the new year, it means you really should be taking stock of your year.

I’ve been writing this note for almost two weeks now, and even though it doesn’t feel quite ready, I’ve decided to hit publish anyway. After all, the goal is progress, not perfection.

If you asked me how my 2024 went, I’d say: eventful. This year, I came into a deeper version of myself, which feels apt considering my theme for the year was “making.”

For some, 2024 may have gone the way you pictured it - filled with expected (and unexpected) blessings. For others, it may have been a year of challenges, lessons, or growth. But that’s the thing about taking stock - no matter what life throws at us, taking time to reflect is how we make sense of this wild, messy, beautiful thing called life.

Adulting 101 will have you realizing there are a million things to juggle: making a living, making money, making friends, seeing the world, keeping in touch with family, maybe building a family, and (if it’s your jam) trying to make the world a better place.

For me, it can all get a bit overwhelming. But taking stock is how I ground myself - acknowledging the wins, learning from the misses, and making space for gratitude.

This year, I have:

• Grown as a partner, mom, daughter, sibling, friend, and more.

• Completed reading two books (in my defense, I started more than two, I just didn’t finish them all).

• Published 8 notes here on Substack.

• Written 4,474 words on Substack.

• Coached 20 people to make clearer career transition decisions.

• Hosted a summit attended by over 100 women in STEM.

• Spoken at 13 events (4 virtual, 9 physical - including 2 international ones in Kenya and Togo).

• Learned empathy.

• Unlearned the habit of not taking myself seriously.

• Relearned how to rest and embrace slowing down.

• Relearned that while I can control a few things, most things are beyond my control.

Now, it’s your turn.

Taking stock is not just about what you achieved; it’s also about the lessons learned, the people who shaped your year, and the ways you grew (even in the hard moments).

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a guide to help you reflect on your year. Take your time with these questions - journal, meditate, or just sit with them for a bit.

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A Guide to Take Stock of Your Year

1. How would you describe your year? (Use words, phrases, or even images).

2. What were the 3 biggest challenges you faced, both personally and professionally?

3. What are 3 personal accomplishments you’re most proud of?

4. What are 3 professional accomplishments you’re most proud of?

5. What events, people, practices, behaviors, or thoughts have energized you, inspired you, supported you, or sustained you?

6. What events, people, practices, behaviors, or thoughts have drained you?

7. What are you most grateful for this year?

8. Who made your year worth it?

9. What didn’t go so great this year? What ideas, goals, or desires did you have that didn’t happen?

10. What new skills have you learned or developed?

11. What have you unlearned?

12. What have you relearned?

13. Is there anything you would have done differently, and why?

14. If you could travel back to the start of the year, what advice would you give yourself?

15. What has 2024 taught you?

As we close out the year, I hope you give yourself the time and space to reflect, rest, and recover. Growth isn’t always about doing - it’s also about being (after all, we’re called human beings for a reason).

I’ll be back in January with a note on goal setting for the new year. Until then, here’s wishing you a happy and fulfilling start to 2025.

Thank you for being part of my journey this year.

With gratitude,

Wamide💫