Its end-of-year reflection time. So here’s an exercise for you.
Find 10 minutes when you can sit quietly and reflect on the past year.
Get your journal, note pad or computer and answer each of the following questions.
Don’t just answer them in your head, you have to write your answers down.
The act of writing helps you clarify your thoughts and anchors your reflection so you will remember them.
Here are the five reflection questions:
Your gratitude and pride reflection:
- What are the top 3 things you are most proud of accomplishing this year and for each, what are you specifically grateful for?
Your challenges and learnings reflection:
- What were the top 3 lesson-generating challenges you had this year and how did each make you a better person?
Your to-do reflection
- What things did you want to start but didn’t, or started but did not finish, that you wish you had?
Your desired goals reflection
- What are your top 3 goals for next year and for each, what will achieving the goal give you, make you feel and mean for you? For each goal, what would it mean if you did not accomplish it? Why is each goal important?
Your career / work / life / business reflection
- What do you want to be different in your career / work / life / business next year? Pretend it’s December and you’re looking back. How has your career / work / life / business changed?
If you answered all 5 reflection questions, you now know:
- the progress you made this year and what to focus on next year
- the hard things you faced this year and how they helped you grow
- the unfinished business you will need to make time for or decide not to do at all
- the goals you can set for next year
- the things you want to achieve in your career / work / life / business
ENJOY!