Twenty Questions to Reflect on this Past Year
Maybe this happened for you this year too, but I was over Black Friday before it even began! Sales and sponsored ads and influencers seemed to start weeks in advance, so by the time Black Friday and Cyber Monday rolled around, I turned off all electronics and locked the doors. There was simply nothing I wanted more than consumerism silence. Hear me out, I’m not a Grinch—getting a good deal on something I want is great! But this year (and most years) I realized what I truly want isn’t for sale at a store anyway. Oh, I know, that’s so cliche.
Last year was the perfect example. When people asked what I wanted for Christmas, I thought: “Answers about my future!” Last Christmas I wanted to know where we’d be living in a few months, a new home, to be my own boss, to grow in my faith, and to prioritize my health.I didn’t want anything new because we’d be packing it soon anyway. And how was I supposed to know if we’d even have room in the new place we were living for all that stuff??
Answers do not always come in just 12 months time, but typically, our deepest desires also coincide with our yearly goals. Fast forward to now and I have a lot of the answers I was looking for and made a lot of progress on my goals. But now, before I’ve even looked to see how far I’ve come and to celebrate the progress, those nagging, “What do you want for Christmas?” questions have already surfaced once more.
This issue is that so often we jump from “What material things will satisfy me?” to “What huge life changes do I need to make to be better?” With New Year’s Resolutions around the corner and a season of consumerism ahead (or already here!)—let’s stop and take credit for where you’re at and the progress you made this year. If we don’t take time to reflect, our whole lives will feel like we’re going from one thing to the next, never satisfied.
Here’s 20 questions to get you started.
What major events happened in the last year?
What song did you listen to over & over? Why did you love it so much?
What books expanded your horizons?
What phrase do you want to hold onto because it inspired you?
Where have you made progress?
How are you going to celebrate that progress?
What is something you did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
What was the most important goal you achieved this year?
What grievances do you need to forgive and release?
What are you most proud of from this year?
When and where did you show up fully this year?
What was an example of when you felt brave this year?
What is something that was hard for you at the start of the year but is easy now?
What lessons did you learn this year?
What skills did you build upon or gain this year?
What goals did you need to adjust throughout the year?
Who invested in you this year? (This is the perfect time to write a thank you note!)
Is everything that you focused on this year getting you closer to your big goal or dream?
What are you going to do differently next year than you did this year?
For next year to be a success, what needs to be your focus?
If you’ve been around here for a minute, you know achieving goals depends on you—it’s not something someone can wrap up and hand you. Progress on our goals only comes from making intentional decisions and building purposeful habits. Becoming a truer version of ourselves and moving from mundane to meaningful takes time and effort and grace. Slowly, our narrative shifts.
So maybe this year you’re going to ask for the tangible items that help you better achieve your goals. Maybe a new writing desk or work out shoes. Maybe you’ll get money for a babysitter for date night or to put towards night school tuition. Or maybe you’ll give more than you get because you want to cultivate generosity. All of that is great and I’d love to talk to you more about what it takes to cultivate your goals.
My only suggestion is before you make your wish list (whether it be full of gifts or intangible goals!) take a minute to look back at how far you’ve come since last year. Pause & consider who you’ve become. Remember the hard ships & celebrate your strength. Allow yourself to smile, remembering all the awesome things you did this year.
