Why We Need Backward Thinking

In many areas of life, it is standard practice to complete what is called a post-mortem to determine not only what happened when something failed but also what happened when a venture was successful. One of the best things we can all do at the beginning of the new year is to use this technique to look back and evaluate what happened in the past year and what we learned from it. Too often we move forward with great anticipation and excitement but neglect this important process. After all, who wants to review what is over and done? But if we don’t take the time to do so, we are often destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. What are the questions we need to ask to evaluate the past and move forward with renewed energy and lessons learned?

Identify the Important Milestones and Events: This might include goals that you set and whether or not you accomplished them. What were your dreams  and plans for the past year? Or perhaps this is a time when you recognize that you didn’t have a plan but drifted through the year without a clear vision. What were your disappointments or regrets? What were your successes and accomplishments? What are you most proud of?

Identify some themes: What is the story you would tell someone about the past year? How would you characterize it? If you gave it a title, what would that be? Do certain things seem to repeat themselves? What was your role in it and how would you describe yourself?

Identify lessons learned: What are major life or business lessons that you learned that you want to carry forward? What was missing from your success? What lead to any mistakes or failures? Take those lessons learned and turn them into short statements that can guide you going forward. For example: Don’t worry so much about the end result, just do the next right thing. Or another might be: I can do hard things when I believe in myself and don’t listen to the doubts of others. Or another: I can do anything I want but I can’t do everything I want. Focus and setting priorities is key.

Identify a plan for the new year: It’s great to learn new things but unless we apply our new knowledge, we are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past. Create a plan going forward as to how you will change your behavior, your mindset, or your interactions. This is a critical step. So often we learn from the past but don’t have a plan for how we will do things differently and let’s face it, it’s hard to change old habits without a clear plan.