Appraisal.

And just like that, another year has ended. Sometimes it’s important to go back to where we started so we measure how far we have come. I’m still practicing the art of looking back long enough to appreciate my achievements. It’s my antidote against normalizing my blessings. That has remained a personal struggle. If we focus only on what we are yet to achieve then we risk living in discontentement, always chasing stuff. Yet if we focus only on our past accomplishments we risk getting into a comfort zone and becoming historians. A healthy balance is required because life happens in the middle which is also the present.

This has taken me back to the first story we posted here in January this year ( https://lucasmaranga.com/decisive/ ), about fifty articles ago (si that’s an accomplishment, guys). It was about my word of the year- Decisive. I have read that post and measured my performance over the year to see how well I have performed. I committed to a few things for this year. Some I have accomplished and some remain incomplete. Overall I feel I was more decisive than the year before. As mentioned here previously I had four goals this year. I achieved two and a half-ish. But is it possible to achieve a goal you hadn’t set only to realize after the fact that it should have been on the list?

My two-year mjengo (construction) project was completed this year and that was huge for me. I’m not sure why I hadn’t listed it as a goal for 2023. Maybe I wasn’t confident enough that I would complete it. If we are to add that to the total goals achieved then this year was a decisive one and there is proof to show for it. I mentioned in that first article that our dreams are our real jobs. And that’s the sweet spot for me. Living my life doing what I love and getting paid for it remains my true north. I dream about this a lot. I have lived such ikigai moments and desire for it to be the norm next year.

One such moment was in September while in the Masai Mara on a photo safari (which was one of the goals for this year). I remember those mornings at sunrise in the golden hour looking for some good action to photograph. As we waited I got chatting with my pal and fellow wildlife photographer in our cruiser about life’s transitions. We quickly coined a name for our chats – Wild Conversations. I imagined doing this often and earning from it. Bringing folks out here to seek clarity and help them find and live meaningful lives. It still feels like a dream so I need to find a way of waking up and making it my real job in the coming year. Any suggestions good people?

In life, we often connect the dots backward. That’s when it all makes sense. Folks, when you take one more glance back at this year before we get into sherehe (party) mode and forget, how has your life unfolded? Did you do what you set out to do? Did you achieve your goals? Including the ones you hadn’t set out to achieve. Are you in a better place now than you were in January?

It’s important to take stock as we do life because what can’t be measured cannot be improved. The festive season Is always a good time to evaluate ourselves and consider how we can up our game in the year that’s about to begin. You don’t need to complicate it. Some of us are thorough and even have formulas and apps to measure performance. Others just a simple list ticked off is a good start. Whatever works, just find a way of appraising your year and life often. That’s when we know if we are moving and in what direction. And we are then able to take remedial steps or increase our speed if we are on the right track.

Works the same way in life as it did back in school when we used to sit continuous assessment tests during the school term in the run-up to the end-of-term exams. It all added to the final mark. So continuous appraisal ni muhimu, especially in important subjects like purpose and living significantly. Appraising our lives helps us continuously improve and there is no limit to that. There is always room for improvement. It’s the biggest room in the house.

It’s been a real and deep pleasure again sharing random musings with you folks here throughout this year. maybe you should appraise me too hehe… but be kind ok.  I will now hibernate to a place with unstable wifi for about two weeks to maliza my appraisal. I wish you all a rejuvenating Christmas and a tax-free New Year (pun intended), at least as far as intentionality to live a better year goes.

Live long folks and see you in 2024.