Reflect on the Past 12 Months

Cathie Leimbach • December 20, 2022

“Achieving success is a challenge but so is struggling, so you may as well choose success.”

Rob Liano

A valuable use of time during the last week of every year is to reflect on the past year of your life. Where have you been successful and what are your disappointments?  What helped you be successful and what contributed to your disappointments?

Then decide what you need to keep doing and what you need to change to have a better life next year. Remember that the actions you took – the way you lived your life and did your work this past year – contributed to your successes and disappointments. If you do similar things next year, you will get similar results. Decide to keep doing the things that led to your successes, stop doing the things that led to disappointments, and start doing things that will improve your results.

Below is an example of a chart you might create and complete to gain clarity on the helpful versus the limiting aspects of your life. Also, consider which actions or habits to Continue, which to Stop, and what to Start doing to continue to be successful and reduce disappointments.  

After taking time for this reflection, you will be more conscious of your successes and disappointments, your strengths and weaknesses, and different actions that could improve your life. You are now in a position to make an informed plan of action for next year.  Instead of disappointments in your life zapping your energy, you will be rewarded for your hard work with greater success and satisfaction.  

Projects or Aspects of Your Life Continue Stop Start
Success Achieved my 3 growth project goals. On Fridays, plan what I will do the following week towards each goal. Spend at least 20 hours each month on each goal.
Success Sunday night family dinners Home-cooked 6:00 pm dinners
Disappointment Weekly date night happened only 6 times Waiting to the last minute to make plans Reserve Thursday evenings for dates.
Diappointment Spent 25% of my work time on jobs I?m not good at. Volunteering for and agreeing to do these tasks. Discuss better fit work assignments with my supervisor.

The Performance Gap: Why Half Your Team is Burning Out

By Cathie Leimbach • September 30, 2025
Based on insights from James Hewitt's "Regenerative Performance" Something's not adding up in today's workplace. While companies demand more from their teams, the results tell a concerning story. Research shows that 50% of employees now show clear signs of burnout, and an alarming 73% feel disconnected from their work. James Hewitt, performance expert and author of "Regenerative Performance," points to a critical mismatch. We're asking people to perform at peak levels without giving them what they need to recover and recharge. Think of it like a smartphone. You can't expect your phone to run at full power all day without plugging it in. Yet that's exactly what we're doing to our workforce. We pile on meetings, deadlines, and pressure while cutting back on the very things that restore energy: breaks, development time, and meaningful connection. The solution isn't working less—it's working smarter. Hewitt's research reveals that sustainable high performance comes from balancing intense effort with intentional recovery. Teams that build in time to recharge actually outperform those that push through exhaustion. Smart leaders are already making the shift. They're protecting their people's energy as carefully as they manage their budgets. Because burned-out employees don't just hurt themselves—they hurt the bottom line too. Want to dive deeper into this issue? View The Burnout Crisis to understand the full scope of this workplace challenge. "Sustainable high performance comes from the rhythm of oscillation—not from the intensity of effort alone." —James Hewitt

Why Boring Beats Brilliant

By Cathie Leimbach • September 23, 2025
Craig Groeschel's Blueprint for Real Leadership