Is Publishing Your Year-End Review Just Vanity?

Something bothered me about the public year-end goal review. New Year. Traditions. Every year I wrote a report on achievements — what countries I visited, what I bought, what I accomplished. And many people do. There's nothing inherently wrong with it. But this year, something clicked. What's the actual purpose?

For many, 'year-end reviews' are just a legitimate excuse to show off and brag.

In practice — it's a form of self-congratulation, a way to polish your ego. Just read these reports — read my reports from past years. Yes, sometimes you can spot some self-criticism and flagellation in there, but the main motive is 'look how great I am.' Some even have scoring tables.

When we write these reports — even not for the public, but just for ourselves — if it's not a business report where the goal is to find weaknesses and build a new strategy, there's one high risk. You risk being tempted to exaggerate, embellish, photoshop the reality. And this temptation is almost universal.

If we embellish bad strategies — we risk repeating them. So why do we do this in life?

The answer to everything: level of consciousness. In a previous post I described the conclusions I drew over the year — lessons learned, and I hoped you could avoid my mistakes. But the main conclusion of the year I didn't publish. 'All goals are divided into three types: Be, Do, Have. Most people think: I want to HAVE a six-pack — I need to DO the gym — and I'm trying to HAVE without BEing.' But the real order is: Be → Do → Have.

Want a beautiful body? Then BE a sportsperson (proper nutrition, systematic gym time). Want a great car? Deal with business problems at the level where you can earn that kind of money. And when that becomes your identity — the car arrives as a natural byproduct.

That's why I'll write less often — but with more substance. Subscribe; I'll be glad to see your comments.

Here's what I've settled on instead of annual scorecards: three questions I ask myself at the end of each year — not about what I achieved, but about who I became. Did I make decisions from strength or from fear? Did I move toward something that genuinely matters to me — or just toward what looks impressive? And did I show up fully for the people I care about?

The answers to those three questions tell me more than any milestone table ever could. That's the report worth writing.