As 2024 winds down, a cross-section of Nigerians have viewed the year in retrospect, underscoring the importance of self-assessment and personal growth management for future fulfilment.
The respondents, in separate telephone interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Friday, assessed themselves on how they fared in 2024 while taking a positive peep into 2025.
A Lagos-based entrepreneur, Mr Olamiposi Olakolu, described self-assessment and personal growth management as vital tools for reflecting on achievements, learning from challenges, and setting a course for continued improvement.
“As we approach the end of 2024, it’s a natural time to evaluate how well you have aligned your actions with the goals you set at the start of the year,” he said.
According to him, self-assessment helps a person to reflect on his progress, providing an opportunity to measure personal and professional growth against predefined resolutions or objectives.
Olakolu says self-assessment provides an avenue to learn from challenges, thus identifying obstacles hindering progress, which leads to a better understanding of one’s habits, environment, and decision-making processes.
He identifies planning for the future as another benefit of self-assessment, as it serves as insights that can inform more realistic and meaningful goals for the new year.
He acknowledged the ability of external challenges such as economic factors, health issues, and other life events to impede or recalibrate progress.
He, however, added that having a positive and growth-oriented mindset would foster resilience and motivation.
According to him, planning for 2025 should include celebrating successes, understanding challenges and learning from the past with actionable and measurable goals.
Mr Smith Agboola, Head of Department, Science Unit, Command Day School, Ibadan, said he achieved his plans for 2024 to a reasonable extent.
“I had plans to be a better person at work, a better spouse to my partner and a wonderful father to my children.
“I achieved all of the plans by my determination and doggedness,” Agboola said.
A Lagos-based educator, Mr Bamidele Olatunde, described 2024 as a year of mixed feelings because while some of his plans were well executed, others didn’t go as planned.
According to him, the economy affected the full realisation of some of his goals.
“But I am not discouraged because 2025 is loaded with opportunities.
“A man has not failed until he stopped trying,” said Olatunde.
Meanwhile, an Abuja-based entrepreneur, Mrs Tolulope Laniya-Awolola, sees consistency as the key to achieving individual growth and goals.
Nonetheless, she said, there couldn’t have been personal growth or self-assessment without God’s involvement.
“I was able to achieve a major goal this year, but as human beings, we make plans but only God blesses them,” she said.
Another entrepreneur in Ibadan, Mr Bunmi Adeite, said he didn’t believe in making New Year resolutions.
“I hold on to God’s word, studying God’s word throughout the year.
“2024 has been a year of new beginnings for me.
“I testify to God’s grace in 2024 and look forward to greater grace from Him in the years to come and beyond,” Adeite said.
A manager at a private company, Mr Femi Bamidele, said most of his goals focused on his family, especially his son than on personal growth for himself.
“Since mid-January 2024, my focus has been to enlist my son in a good tertiary institution and ensure I have enough to get him through the year,” Bamidele said.
An Ibadan-based events supervisor, Chinedu Josphat, identified self-assessment and personal growth management as essential tools for individuals to reflect on their progress, identify areas for improvement, and set realistic goals.
According to him, this is an excellent time to reflect on accomplishments and setbacks; identify lessons learnt, and set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for 2025.
Josphat said developing strategies for overcoming obstacles was crucial to achieving goals, especially in clear goal setting, consistent effort and motivation, supportive networks (friends, family, mentors) and adaptability and resilience.
“Factors that may discourage goal achievement include procrastination, lack of accountability, unrealistic expectations, insufficient resources or support.
“Although I didn’t achieve all my goals and resolutions, I refuse to give up on self-determination.
“Scoring 70 per cent, if I am to assess myself in the pursuit of my goals this year, is to me, a pass mark,” Josphat said.
A postgraduate student of a private tertiary institution in Ogun, Mr Olaoluwa Oluleye, said he accomplished his goals for 2024 through proper planning and time management.
“But most of all, through discipline and finding ways to enjoy the process and not just the outcome,” Oluleye said.
A navigation officer in Rivers, Mr Genesis Ighorheowhonu-Takufia, said he lived each day at a time.
According to him, goals or no goals, being alive and well is the most important thing.
“Since there is life, there is hope.
“For me, every other thing is secondary,” he said.
Meanwhile, a social media supervisor in Lagos, Mr Olamide Oladimeji, said 2024 was full of both achievements and challenges.
He, however, said he improved his time management and became more disciplined.
“The process of assessing where I stand now compared to where I started has been incredibly enlightening.
“Looking back at my New Year resolutions, I set out with clear intentions to improve in specific areas – my career, personal relationships, or overall well-being.
“Now, as the year winds down, I can see how well I have done in some areas and where I’ve fallen short,” Oladimeji said.
He said he had more time for physical activity in 2024, which impacted his energy level and mood positively.
“Keeping track of progress and having small and measurable milestones helped me to stay focused.
“Having a strong support system, whether in colleagues, friends, or family, also played a crucial role in keeping me motivated,” he said.
However, he stated he was discouraged at times by life’s unpredictability, external pressure and personal matters that led to stress.
“The key takeaway for me is the ongoing nature of personal development – goals can evolve, and it’s important to celebrate small wins along the way, rather than focusing solely on what remains unachieved,” Oladimeji said.
A researcher in Lagos, Mrs Modupe Olusolape, simply said, “I don’t go for New Year resolutions, but I have long and short-term goals for different aspects of life.”
