About Retrospectives
As part of my commitment to growth and belief in the importance of self-reflection, I added a new element to my year.
The purpose of the retrospective is pulled directly from Agile Methodology. As stated in the Principles from the Agile Manifesto:
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
I’m adopting the retrospective to look back on what worked, what didn’t, and collect some thoughts on future actions.
While this post is primarily an exercise for me, I’m also committed to working in public, and I hope that seeing the process will inspire you to reflect on who you were this year and get you thinking about who you want to be next year.
Every year my first post will be My Three Words, and my last post of the year will be the Retrospective.
Quick Stats
📊 5 Speaking Engagements: Keynotes, Virtual Talks, and Workshops
📊 Added 70 Members in the Superhero Institute
📊 3 Courses released on The Superhero Institute
📊 Read 13 Books
📊 11 templates and products added to The SUPER Market (10 Notion templates and 1 spreadsheet)
📊 47 poems published on The Poetry of Necessity
📊 42 Haikus published on The Haikus of Resistance
📊 1 Podcast Guest Appearance
📊 0 Guest Posts/Articles
What went well
In the past, I have breathed a heavy sigh prior to answering the question “so what do you do, Jeff?” I had so many interests, so many websites, and so many fragmented offers. My brand was chaotic and hard to follow.
Last year, one of my three words was “Woven.” It was a massive endeavor requiring my focus and a willingness to say no to some things, in order to say yes to others. I was able to tame a lot of the chaos that was my brand and all of my projects.
I’d made a lot of progress on that last year and felt good coming into this year. But I think this year was when I was actually able to weave together everything I do into a coherent narrative.
I’ve never felt more clear on how I talk about what I do. That is a definite win, and sets me up to feel comfortable with what my calls to action are in 2026.
Launching the Superhero Institute was a massive win for me as it has been on my list of most important projects for 5 years now. After a lot of time trying to duct tape together multiple tools and ideas, I finally got clarity and launched. I am so jazzed for it in 2026. (You should learn more and join)
I feel very good about the projects I did with clients and think that 2026 will be a massive improvement based on the clarity I’ve been able to achieve over the past two years.
I am also very pleased with my pace this year as I felt more present in my family and with friends than in years past.
What didn't go well
Well, saying yes to one thing, inevitably means saying no to a lot of other things.
While I was able to gain a lot of brand clarity, build a bunch of stuff, write very consistently on my blog and newsletter, and have consistent revenue all year from a few big clients, everything else pretty much fell off.
I read a lot less. I took my foot almost entirely off the gas as it relates to business development, leaving me scrambling toward the end of this year.
The speaking and workshops I was able to do were almost entirely the product of my business partner’s hustle, and a few chance opportunities that dropped in my lap.
I did absolutely nothing in podcasting, producing or appearing, except planning. I failed to restart Rogue and my first season plans for Shareable were an abysmal failure. I recorded an amazing pilot episode but couldn’t secure my two expert guests, leaving me in waiting mode to do anything.
Overall, I felt like my visibility turned to invisibility as I got so laser focused on planning and building that I rarely told anyone what I was doing.
What I plan to do next (Action Steps)
This year, I feel very prepared with my offers through my two companies Super Impactful and Super Productive. So, I’m feeling excited to start having sales conversation instead of kind of pushing things off for fear of not being totally prepared.
I’m definitely going to get back into Podcasting. I miss it. Both being a host and a guest. I made one critical flip regarding how Shareable will be recorded and I think it will simplify things enough to get the show up and running. Similarly, with the Superhero Institute fully operational, I have a ready-made audience of people to feature on the show.
The Superhero Institute is very high on my list of priorities this year. I think it’s going to be one of the more impactful things I will do in my career. It’s the perfect venue for helping people and at a reasonable price point. I’m going in on communities this year as I’ve felt how amazing it is to be among values aligned people.
I’m also done waiting for a miracle to get my speaking career back on track. The truth is, I’m very hard on myself in this one area, maybe more than anywhere else. I want to get back to not overthinking it, and instead, letting my unique personality and expertise shine. I’m grateful for the support I have around me, most notably the two amazing speakers I spend the most time with: my wife Erica and my business partner Sarah.
Finally, I’m also going to read A LOT more than I did this past year. My brain felt a bit stagnant from such a sharp drop off in reading from prior years.
My Three Words for 2025: A Review
Connected
This word was about intentionally nurturing and maintaining my relationships so they stay present in my awareness instead of fading into the background of my ADHD-driven focus.
I did a pretty good job of this and actually got to spend face to face time with most of my close friends, and if not, at least some good video chatting or calls.
One thing that really helped was finding a new tool called Dex, which is a relationship CRM I absolutely LOVE!
I give myself a B/B+ on this word for 2025.
Marketplace
This word was about actively promoting and expanding The SUPER Market so more people know about and can benefit from the tools, templates, and frameworks I have already created.
I did well on this word. Mainly because there are two sides to it.
- Creating well crafted offers that are easy to buy from me. This aligns with all of my brand and offer work to make what I offer more easily accessible.
- Making products, resources, and community more accessible and valuable. This year, late in the year, I made the bug decision to leave the platform I’d been using for several years, Podia. I moved over to Skool for my course and community. I’m in the process of rebuilding a central directory of all my products on superimpactfulresources.com
On this one I feel like I did pretty well. I’m giving myself a grade of B+.
Video
This word was about making video a central, regular medium in how I communicate and create, so I become as comfortable on camera as I am with writing and podcasting.
I can honestly say I’m not sure I’ve ever failed one of my three words so miserably. I basically forgot all about this and recorded very few videos at all.
This is a pattern that keeps coming up for me. I struggle with video and I feel low-key overwhelmed by the idea of making videos.
I’m giving myself a full blown F on this one. You win some, you lose some.
That’s it for 2025!
Looking back, I am just glad to have made it through a year filled with so much anger, division, and tragedy. I’m trying to remain hopeful as our country descends deeper into full blown fascism.
I’m going to do my best in 2026, just like I try to do every year.
Good luck. See you next year.
