Instead of seeing annual performance as a score, reframe it as a message in a bottle you're sending to your future self. The number itself is barely the message. The real communication is in the behaviors and decisions that led to that number. When you open this "bottle" in 20 years, what will you want it to say?

Will it say: "In 2024, even when the market was scary, I kept investing every month. I ignored the urge to sell. I used the downturn to learn more about my own risk tolerance."

Or will it say: "In 2024, I chased the hottest fund from last year, sold my boring old investments at a loss, and tried to time the market. I was stressed and reactive."

The annual return will be a distant, forgotten detail. The character of the investor you were,disciplined or impulsive, learner or gambler,will be the legacy. Your annual review, then, is a chance to write that letter consciously. Document not just the numbers, but your state of mind, the key decisions you made (or avoided), and the lessons learned. Make your primary goal for the year to act in a way that your future self will read with pride and gratitude, not facepalm-inducing regret. That’s a performance metric with real, lasting value.