13 Questions To Help You Reflect On 2018 And Plan For 2019
With just over 2 weeks left in 2018 (erm, how…?), it seems like we’re all starting to look back on the last 12 months and think about the new year ahead. I always love this period of reflection - it’s a good time to really dig into what’s working well for you right now, and what you’d like to do more of in the future.And so today, I thought I’d share some of the questions I use to help me reflect on the year gone by every December. I like to make myself a hot cup of tea (or pour a large glass of wine, depending on what time of day it is!), curl up somewhere comfy with a notebook and my favourite pen, and delve into the following questions.
The key is to be totally honest with your answers, to document those first few things that come to mind before your rational brain tries to take over. I find that my most meaningful answers come when I write almost in a stream of consciousness - that’s when I surprise myself get the most value from this practice.
And then once you have your answers, read through them. Reflect on how they make you feel, and what thoughts the conjure up in relation to the year ahead. Maybe you’ll start to have some goals circling around your head, or maybe you’ll simply wish for more of the same.
Either way, you can be sure that you’re setting goals and making plans that are right for you, rather than just jumping on the “new year, new me!” hype and plucking resolutions out of thin air. And that’s bound to set you up for a better start to the year, right?
1) Make a list of the 3-5 moments when you were happiest this year. Why were you so happy in that moment?
2) Which periods of the year did you find more challenging? What was wrong and why were you struggling at that time?
3) Which 5 achievements (big or small) do you feel most proud of?
4) What area of your life did you feel most content in this year? Is there an area where you felt more anxious or confused?
5) Think back to the person you were on January 1st, 2018. In what ways have you changed? What was important to you then that is still important to you now?
6) Is there anything that you hoped for in 2018 that didn’t come to fruition?
7) When did you feel most in flow this year?
8) Who are the people in your life who you loved spending time with in 2018? Is there anybody who made you feel less than great about yourself?
9) When did you feel the most healthy, physically and mentally this year? What habits were you adopting at that time?
10) What did you do just for fun this year? How did it make you feel? How could you do more of it in 2019?
11) Make a list of all of the small, unremarkable things that have brought you joy this year. What changes do you need to make to be able to appreciate these small things even more?
12) What has surprised you about yourself this year?
13) Imagine you’ve jumped forward in time to this exact date in 2019. What has that future you learned? What are they feeling most proud of?
I’d love to hear how you got on with answering these questions. Did you uncover anything new about yourself? How are you feeling about the new year ahead now?
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13 Questions To Help You Reflect On 2018 And Plan For 2019