In January 2024, I published my annual list of goals for the year ahead. Halfway through 2024, I did a mid-year review. And now I’m reflecting on my progress at year-end.

2024 was a year of pivots and contradictions. I stuck to the plans at times and veered far from it at others. I swam in and out of presence and joy, stress and worry, confidence and calm, rigor and focus. I figured things out along the way. And I learned a lot of lessons. A LOT.

Today I’m sharing my thoughts with you as a nudge to reflect, celebrate your wins, and learn from your missteps. This is also a major method of accountability for me. You can learn a lot when you spend time looking inward. And that inward reflection inspires growth, for all of us.

So, without further ado, here’s my year-end reflection on everything from my personal wellness to business goals. See where I fell short, where I followed the plan to a tee, and where I shifted my perspective and vision along the way.

2024 Goals

High-Level Guiding Word: Intention

High-Level Guiding Phrase: The next year of my life will be filled with joy, physical and mental health, financial success, generosity and beautiful experiences with people I care deeply about.

Personal Wellness

Guiding Phrase: I will prioritize my mental and physical wellness to help me show up as my best self in other areas of my life.

3-5 Goals:

1. Go to workout classes (cycle, yoga, barre) 3-5x/week.
2. Build movement (stretching, walking) and/or getting outside into each day.
3. Book one big wellness item/month (massage, facial, body wrap, sound bath, etc.)
4. Go to one extended wellness retreat.
5. Go to therapy/life coaching 2-3x/month.

End-of-Year Update:

1. Aside from home renovation month (what a doozy!) I consistently prioritized 3-5 workout classes/week. I feel really good about that accomplishment!
2. Every time I stretch or take even a short walk outside, I say, “Why don’t I do this every day?!” I wasn’t successful in building this into my daily routine, but when I did prioritize it, the impact was felt.
3. I’m not sure if the cadence was monthly, but I did prioritize wellness this year. I enjoyed many massages, facials, meditations, and sound baths that kept me grounded and relaxed. I’d say I committed pretty hard to this one.
4. I did it! I went on a wellness retreat over my birthday and it was glorious. It offered the perfect mix of wellness, fun, and quality time with my partner. I’m so happy I prioritized it.
5. I dropped my therapy schedule down to 2x/mo because it felt more manageable, but I definitely cancelled a session here and there, which brings my cadence down to 1-2x/month. I still feel like I got and sought the support I needed though!

Although I deprioritized wellness at some points (like moving and renovation month), for the most part, I stayed true to my priorities and centered my physical and mental health. I’m proud of myself for that. I’ll call it a big win.

Relationships

Guiding Phrase: I will prioritize showing up authentically with people who energize me.

3-5 Goals:

1. Spend time with friends and family who make me feel loved and accepted.
2. Pay attention to the people who drain my energy or make me feel judged and de-prioritize those relationships.
3. Share more vulnerably with the people around me who provide a safe space.
4. Express my feelings and opinions openly and without reservation.

End-of-Year Update:

1. For the most part, I prioritized friends and family who prioritize me and make me feel loved and accepted. There were times my community did not make me feel those warm fuzzies though. In those moments, I worked on boundaries and/or expressing my feelings to shift the dynamic.
2. That leads me to #2. There were specific moments during the year when I de-prioritized relationships that weren’t energizing me. And I was very proud of myself for making that choice and following through on it.
3. I have very mixed feelings about this one. While I did share more vulnerably with those around me, I feel like that vulnerability sometimes shifted how people saw me or others. I’m still working out the right balance here. I don’t think I’m the type to share everything outwardly and openly and not worry about people’s resulting narratives. Weaponized vulnerability is too big of a trigger for me.
4. Similar thoughts here. I learned through multiple situations that sharing my unfiltered feelings didn’t always benefit me or other people involved.

Overall, I learned a lot about my role, habits, communication style, and relational needs. I realized some opinions and feelings don’t need to be shared. Not every person who asks or expresses curiosity gets access to my truth or vulnerability. It’s funny that establishing a goal to share more and prioritizing openness actually led me to be a little more guarded. I’ve also learned that, while many people think they want to hear about your life, most can’t support you or respond in a way that’s truly helpful. And that’s not anyone’s fault or shortcoming, it’s just a truth of life. We live and we learn!

Money

Guiding Phrase: I will build wealth and businesses that support my lifestyle and allow me to be generous to others.

3-5 Goals:

1. Hit annual revenue goal from all income streams.
2. Make one big investment (real estate or tech).
3. Grow my personal and Harlow online community (grow to 50k+ followers, 10k+ newsletter subscribers).
4. Partner with 8-10 consulting clients who align with my work values.
5. Donate at least $10k to charities (cancer, supporting children/youth).

End-of-Year Update:

1. I don’t *love* to admit this one, but I only reached ~70% of my revenue goal this year. A couple consulting gigs were postponed, and I spent a lot of money purchasing and renovating a home, which meant my money was doing less work for me in the bank. I was also counting on building Harlow revenue to a point where we could pay ourselves, but we decided to continue re-investing in the business for growth. Even at 70% of my revenue goal, I feel good about where I landed. I took almost a month off for a house project and spent more than 50% of my time pushing forward a software and media business that could lead to big profit down the line, but hasn’t paid dividends *yet*.
2. As mentioned, I bought a house! That’s a big investment. Outside of that, I also invested in a company called the QwikFix, a marketplace connecting real estate agents to contractors during the home inspection process. It was also cool to see the companies and funds I’ve invested in previously start to make some serious moves.
3. With my personal following + Harlow following combined, I hit 35k on social (55% growth YoY), and our newsletter is ending the year at 6.7k subscribers (140% growth YoY). While I missed my defined goal, that’s still tremendous growth since the beginning of the year — especially with limited resources.
4. I only worked with four clients this year, but they were big, meaty projects that paid well. PLUS, I felt like I made a huge impact on each of those teams and companies. Double rewarding.
5. I donated around $9.5k this year to formal charities and mutual aid efforts. I feel very proud of the way I gave back to my community.

I missed my leading revenue goal and didn’t grow my community and newsletter list to the extent I wanted to. But that’s lighting a fire under me as I enter 2025. I’m getting more creative, learning from experience, and figuring out new and exciting ways to ramp my businesses. This year felt like a time for building and learning. Next year feels ripe for growth and payoff.

Fun

Guiding Phrase: I will spend ample time enjoying the things that feel good to me.

3-5 Goals:

1. Take 10+ trips with people I care deeply about.
2. Visit at least five new places.
3. Live in accordance with *my* wants and needs.
4. See at least two new artists in concert.
5. Try one activity that I’ve never done before (skydiving, bungee jumping, new sport, etc.).

End-of-Year Update:

1. Check and check! This year I traveled to: LA, San Francisco, Cabo, Lake Roosevelt, Seattle, Nashville, New York, Scottsdale, Boise, Washtougal (2x), Dublin, London, San Diego, Chicago, Louisville, Nelson BC, and Miami. It was a year filled with travel and great memories.
2. New places included: Lake Roosevelt, Washtougal, Dublin, London, Chicago, and Louisville. Check!
3. Oof, this is a hard one to measure. I went with the flow almost as much as I strategically planned how to spend my time. Sometimes it served me, sometimes it did not.
4. I saw SO many new artists in concert this year (and some amazing artists I’d already seen in the past — really added to my Taylor Swift show tally). To name a few: Maren Morris, Beck, Matchbox Twenty, and Tyler Childers. They all put on insanely good shows!
5. I’m racking my brain on this one and coming up short! Does locking myself in a meditation pod count? I was hoping for something more adventurous, but I suppose that works for now.

I had fun this year! I saw a lot of sights and made a ton of new memories. 2024 will be remembered as a year full of experiences, for sure.

End-of-Year Reflection

As I mentioned in the intro, I learned a ton this year. I met some goals with flying colors and I missed others. I prioritized wellness while falling short on my financial goals. I learned a lot about my role in relationships and made a ton of core memories with my crew. I sought out new experiences and took comfort and joy in nostalgia.

I have a lot to think about as I head into 2025. I know some of my goals for the upcoming year will mirror my 2024 goals, but I have a good deal of new ideas floating around too.

Next on my list: Take these learnings and the inspiration of a new year and chart a map for 2025.

I hope you take the time to learn from your 2024 and revel in your wins too. If you want to join me in making this an annual tradition, you can use my annual reflection and planning template. It’s a powerful way to wrap up one year and prepare for the next. If you decide to do it and feel like sharing your wins and wisdom from 2024, we’d love to celebrate with you. Feel free to post on social and tag me or @meetharlow so we can cheer you on.

Wishing you ease and success — whatever that means to you — heading into 2025!