Last week everyone in my Department received the email that we all dread: our upcoming Annual Review is nearly upon us. This simply marks a time of year where we have to meet with our Chair and discuss areas where we’re hitting our milestones and areas where we need improvement. This also means we have to flex our typing fingers and start putting our Annual Report document together – basically listing out your academic accomplishments for the year across predetermined categories, distilled down to 6 pages of text. No more, no less.
This process, although dreaded by faculty for its drudgery, actually makes the tenure process pretty straightforward. Students mentored, papers published, outreach events organized. And despite the fact that you have to dig deep into your past to remember dates and events to populate each section, I have to appreciate a task that forces me to stop and reflect on the past year. To step away from the ever-present feeling of what I’m NOT doing, and literally type out everything I DID. We are so accustomed to never feeling like enough. But once a year, for 6 pages (no more, no less) we can say, “wow. I’m actually awesome.”
The rose has told
In one simplicity
That never life
Relinquishes a bloom
But to bestow
An ancient confidence.
Nathalia Crane, Venus Invisible and Other Poems
I started to realize an Annual Review isn’t a terrible concept to embrace for all facets of your life. I have an endless To Do list – the thing you add to constantly, always on the treadmill, running towards the goal of getting to the end of that list. Which – let’s face it – never happens. Because all we do on a daily basis is add to it. But what if someone said – it’s literally part of your job to sit down, and type up a To Done list. Tell me what you accomplished this year. What you checked off. Tell me about the amazing trips you took, the moments with your loved ones. Tell me about your weekend volunteering, the number of delicious meals you cooked. Tell me about what you did, not what you have left to do.
One thing I will say about the Annual Review of my closet – thanks to this beauty from one of my favorite fellow bloggers Miss Hero Holliday – it’s safe to say my wardrobe has had a pretty stellar year….
A life Annual Review also forces you to see the areas of your report that maybe aren’t so populated. That closet clearcut you’ve been meaning to do? Yeah, let’s improve on that one for next year. We can possibly work a little less, spend time with loved ones a little more. By zooming out and looking at the big picture of your life, you can take a deep breath, write it all out, and file it away until next year.
So, go ahead and write your annual review. And then come back and tell me just how awesome you are.
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Skirt + Top: Miss Hero Holliday (similar modern & vintage here, here & here)
Headband: Forever New (similar)
Bracelet: c/o One Sweet Thread (similar)
Handbag: La Belle Vintage (similar here & here)
Shoes: Irregular Choice, sold out (similar)
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