10 Ways To Reflect Back On 2023
With the closing of December, each year comes the time where we can each take some much needed time for being with our loved ones, celebrating the success of this current year and also take the time to look ahead into the adventures and plans that will accompany us in the new year.
Today I wanted to provide you with a concise yet practical framework for how you can look back on 2023, or any year as a matter of fact, as see for yourself how you have grown, changed or improved and what changes you still want to strive for and in what direction you want to channel your energy and effort into.
Reflecting is a fundamentally useful skill as it allows us to evaluate our past - our thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, habits, challenges and successes - the good and the bad, and from there lay a foundation to what we still want to achieve; to what still drives us forwards.
Feel free to answer the questions below with as much or as little detail as you find useful as this is primarily meant as a personal reflection exercise for yourself and your own journey this year.
I hope you find it useful 😊
TIPS FOR YOUR PERSONAL REFLECTION
When doing this reflection it might be helpful to keep the following things in mind:
This exercise, depending on how in depth you do it, will take you anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour, so make sure to set an appropriate amount of time to the side.
Try to find a quiet non disruptive place to do this in, to make it easier to reflect back and keep your thoughts collected.
You can do this on paper or digitally, whatever suits you best.
Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer to these questions, but just try to keep it as more of an open and honest reflection of your thoughts and experiences of this year.
EVALUATING YOUR 2023
Milestones & Highlights
What were some major milestones that you accomplished this year, no matter how big or small?
What kind of effect did reaching these milestones have on you?
What were your personal favorite highlights and best memories of the year?
Challenges Overcome
Which challenges were you able to overcome?
How did you overcome these challenges? What worked best?
Were there challenges you didn't manage to yet overcome and why?
Personal Growth & Development
In what ways have you change grown or improved as a person and individual since last year?
How have you changed based on the following aspects: Habits, behaviors, patterns of thought, mindsets, self talk and beliefs? What from this was most effective in fueling this growth?
Professional/ Academic Growth
How have you grown or advanced in your academic or professional life?
What methods or techniques allowed for growth in these areas?
Unfulfilled Goals & Aspirations
What were some goals which you didn't manage to achieve this year?
Why do you think you haven't been able to achieve them yet?
If you would like to still go after these goals, what do you have to do or change in order to achieve them?
Surprises
What was something that surprised you this year? It could be an event, something you learnt, a person you met or something you did yourself.
Self Care
How did you take care of your mental, physical and emotional health in 2023?
What methods worked best for taking care of these aspects of health? Which methods or habits didn't work so well?
What specific aspects of your health would you still like to work on for the next year?
Relationships
How have your relationships changed or evolved in 2023?
Which new relationships or friends have you established in 2023?
Were there some relationships which you removed from your life because they were no longer serving you?
Gratitude & Learning Lessons
Name at least 10 things for which you are grateful in the year 2023?
What were some main learning lessons which this year has thought you and which really stuck with you?
How will you implement these learning lessons in the upcoming year?
Looking forward
What changes or improvements do you want to make in 2024 based on the following categories: Health, relationships, academics/ career, habits, personal aspirations and finances?
Are there any new areas in your life which you want to explore more?
What kind of person do you want to be in 2024? Think about your energy, the way you interact with people, your habits, your mindsets and beliefs
20 Pieces Of Timeless Wisdom And Advice
Welcome to my 100th blog post !
My first blog post was written a little over a year ago, which is why I wanted to take the time to reflect on my writing journey and share some of the lessons I've learned along the way, along with timeless pieces of advice that can apply to any stage of our lives.
Thank you to everyone who has read my work up until now, and thank you for joining me on this journey of self-discovery and exploration.
I hope you enjoy this moment of reflection and find something valuable within it 😊.
TIMELESS LEARNING LESSONS
You Are In Charge Of Your Own Life Path
Remember that you are responsible for your own life path and your own well-being, and most importantly, you have the ability and control to influence these aspects and become the master of your destiny.
Many times, we get influenced by other people's ideas, thoughts, or actions, or even peer pressured into conforming to some set routine or shape. However, we must be resilient enough to live our own lives in a way that suits us and at a pace that works best for us. You are responsible for setting the goals for where you are headed, how you choose to get there, and the speed at which you progress, broken down into as many steps as necessary.
It's also important not to neglect the significance of your everyday thoughts on your future because what you generally think is what you attract and thus create within your reality of life.
Choose To Never Stop Learning
Many of us believe that once we exit the formal education system of schools or universities, there is no more proper learning. However, the truth is, we never stop learning.
Your journey of learning continues seamlessly, whether you are aware of it or not. It occurs in your daily epiphanies, personal thoughts, time spent at work, interactions with new people, traveling to new places, or picking up a new book, podcast, or hobby.
Learning experiences, knowledge, and wisdom are all around you; you just have to become aware of them. Most importantly, never stop learning because when you do, you cease to grow, and at that point, you stop truly living.
Rest But Don't Quit; Persistence And Consistency Are Key To Everything
There will be days when you'll want to quit and give up entirely, days when it becomes challenging to stick to the process, and the easiest option seems to be stepping away.
Instead, if you find yourself feeling this way, take a moment to rest and recharge, then get back on track. Because once you persist and achieve whatever you were pursuing, all the hard work and effort you put into the process become worthwhile.
They say that you never really lose until you stop trying, so it's not a problem if you occasionally stumble and falter; what truly matters is that you get up and continue striving to be and do your best. The act of choosing to persist even when it's tough is what defines you and grants you boundless inner strength and resilience to keep moving forward.
You Will Never Regret Being Kind To Yourself
It's often very easy for us to be hard on ourselves and be overly judgmental or unaccepting, which can lead to low self-esteem, depressive thoughts, or a general mindset of dissatisfaction with ourselves and our performance.
Realize that you are human, and we all have days that go great and others that are less so. It's impossible to perform at your absolute best every single day. Understand that it's okay to take it slower on some days to recharge or reflect before you can get back on track. Recognize that we all make mistakes, and these errors don't define your self-worth; they are merely evidence that you are out there trying and learning new things.
As difficult as it may be at times, practice self-acceptance and be at peace with who you truly are because that authentic version of you is the most beautiful one 😊
Prioritize Your Health Early On
I have written about many health-related topics on this platform not only because it is a subject I am passionate about but also because your health is truly vital. It is your number one resource and possession that you should absolutely take care of. The sooner you begin taking proper care of your mental, physical, and emotional health, the better.
Some essential things to consider when aiming to improve your health include: What kinds of foods do you eat, and how do they make you feel? Are you sleeping and resting well? Do you aim to incorporate some form of physical activity into your daily routine? Do you find that you are consistently stressed, and if so, how can you find more time to truly relax, unplug, and manage your stress better?
Additionally, make sure to schedule regular doctor visits for check-ups and visits to the dentist to take care of your dental hygiene.
To read more about the fundamentals of our health, click here
Listen To Your Intuition
All of us have this innate voice inside of ourselves, which usually unconsciously guides our decision-making and whether something feels "right" to us or not. Sometimes, we may experience that we have fallen out of tune with that inner voice or that we simply don't hear or recognize it. To help with this, read this blog post I have written on the topic.
Your intuition is there for a reason, so honor it. Learn to truly listen to your body and take this inner voice into consideration for your daily decision-making.
Get More By Giving Even More
I like to believe that the more you give to someone, whether it's time, energy, money, trust, specific resources, or attention, all of that will be reciprocated at some point in the future. It may not return in the same form as when you gave it, and it might not come from the same person you initially gave to.
Giving and serving others is rooted in general compassion and understanding, which, like a boomerang, is always returned to you in some way or another. So, whenever possible, give and share as much as you can.
The Relationship You Have With Yourself Is The Most Important Relationship
Although this is often an underestimated aspect, the self-talk you have with yourself and how you generally act and behave towards yourself are crucial for overall self-esteem, mood enhancement, and stress management. You must learn to support yourself even when no one else is there to do so.
Because of this, it's essential to ensure that you treat and speak to yourself as you would talk and treat a good friend of yours. Learn to collaborate with yourself rather than working against yourself, as you should not be your own biggest obstacle.
Express Gratitude Every Day For Even The Smallest Of Things
The expression of gratitude is often mentioned as a practice to improve well-being, and extensive research confirms that people who openly express thanks tend to experience better sleep, a happier overall mood, healthier immune systems, and even improved pain management.
Sometimes it may be challenging to come up with things we are grateful for, but it could be even the smallest of things, like being able to smell your fresh cup of coffee in the morning, the ability to sleep in a warm and safe bed, or perhaps living with someone like a family member, flatmate, significant other, or even a pet.
Gratitude allows your brain to perceive the world around you differently and learn to recognize what a truly unique and incredible experience this thing we call life is.
Keep Your Core Family And Friends Close
Another rather understated thing is to truly value the people closest to you in life and continuously realize how much they mean to you and what a significant role they have played in your well-being and journey up until now.
Express gratitude and perform acts of kindness for all your family members who are by your side today, all the friends you hold dear and who mean a lot to you, as well as any other acquaintances or memorable social interactions that have made a significant impact on who you are today.
Interactions with people, such as talking, laughing, debating, learning from each other, or engaging in activities together, are what make life worth living.
Think Before You Act
Often, our actions and behaviors may be driven by impulses and triggers. To avoid this, simply take a few seconds before you actually say or do something. It's important to realize that the way you behave and the words you speak each have their own consequences, which are worth considering in advance. For example, if I want to take action XYZ, how will this impact my life or someone else in my life?
Things will never go as smoothly as we plan them, but taking those few seconds of rational contemplation beforehand can, in the long run, save you from many conflicts, arguments, disappointments, and even strained relationships.
Don't Be Scared Of Making Mistakes
In a world that revolves around perfection and flawless living, it is easy to assume that we must avoid making mistakes at all costs to achieve that elusive "perfect" lifestyle.
Well, it turns out there is no such thing as a "perfect" life. Mistakes are simply proof that you are trying something new, challenging yourself, or stepping out of your comfort zone. The goal is not to intentionally make mistakes, but rather, firstly, to not approach them with the mentality that mistakes are inherently bad and that they define you, and secondly, to learn from those mistakes when they do happen. The process of learning and getting back up after making a mistake is much more important in defining your character than making mistakes in the first place.
So, to sum up, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Venture out, try new things, and when you do make a mistake, acknowledge that it is proof that you are trying and that a mistake does not define you. Recognize what went wrong to classify it as a mistake, learn from the experience, and move forward.
Your Attitude Is Always Your Choice
The one thing that no one can take away from you is your attitude and how you choose to respond to situations and circumstances. You may not always be able to control the circumstances and events happening around you, but your attitude is always within your control. You can intentionally choose to emerge better from a circumstance.
Small Consistent Steps Get You Far
Whenever we set long-term goals for ourselves, it can initially feel overwhelming when you consider the distance between your current self and the version of you that you want to become.
The good news is that a) you have control over reaching your desired goal, and b) you can achieve it by breaking the long journey into small, manageable daily or weekly steps that move you in that direction.
For example, if your goal is to write a book within a year, a good starting point would be to allocate some time each day or blocks of time each week to write sections of the book. This approach makes it much easier and more manageable to work towards your goals without feeling overwhelmed and without giving up before you even start. Your life is in your hands, so seize the opportunity to pursue the goals that excite you.
Put Into Practice What You Have Learnt
Sometimes we may believe that we know a lot about a certain topic or that we are highly educated on it. However, the true extent of our knowledge becomes much clearer when we put that theoretical knowledge into practice and observe how we can actively apply it in practical settings.
Furthermore, it is essential to emphasize that you should not fear making mistakes when applying your theoretical knowledge. These mistakes can reveal areas where you could improve or deepen your understanding. By putting knowledge into practice, not only does your knowledge benefit, but your self-esteem also grows as you actively demonstrate your competence to yourself.
Put In The Work For Things Which Means A Lot To You
You should have a clear understanding of the direction you're heading in and what you want to dedicate your time and energy to. Once you have these things clarified, you must be prepared to consistently invest effort and work to bring your dreams and visions into your daily life. This may require working diligently, staying up late to complete tasks, adjusting your priorities, and communicating your boundaries for time and energy with those around you.
If what you're working toward holds significant meaning for you, then making the aforementioned sacrifices and compromises will feel worthwhile. Otherwise, it's important to assess how important these goals truly are to you.
You need to develop disciplined habits and intentions, stand by your side even when no one else does, and, most importantly, keep yourself on the right track.
Learn to acknowledge when it is time to focus and put your head down to work and also learn how to take time for yourself to relax and unplug.
Every Moment Has The Opportunity To Count
Life often passes by faster than we can truly grasp, and when we are young, we often believe that we will never age and that we have endless amounts of time to play around. However, in reality, time consistently ticks by.
Realize that all the minutes and hours that make up your days, weeks, months, and years can be used for meaningful and memorable actions, making those times worth living.
You have the opportunity to make every passing moment count by choosing to intentionally spend it working on your dream project, socializing with friends and creating new memories, or allowing yourself much-needed rest and recharge time. How you choose to spend your time is a luxury for you to decide, but ensure that it is invested in things that truly matter and hold significance for you in the end.
Consider this: What do you want to share with your grandchildren when you have them? What kind of life did you lead? How do you wish to be remembered by those closest to you? You have the power to shape your own legacy, so let that inspire you.
Practice Altruistic Prosocial Behavior
Being of service or help to someone not only strengthens your relationship and trust with the other individual but also provides a natural sense of fulfillment because we are designed as social animals who interact and cooperate with others around us.
Humans are not naturally oriented toward self-sufficiency and driven solely by selfish desires. Instead, we thrive and experience our best when we engage with a community of people to interact, share experiences, and grow together. Recognize that all of us have this innate need, so don't hesitate to reach out to someone when they need help or express your need for assistance when necessary. We are inherently built for social connections, so the next time you have any social interaction, consider how you can provide more service or value to the other individual(s) and how you can contribute positively to your community or society as a whole. Genuine and deep social connections are the foundation of genuine happiness.
Keep Moving In The Right Direction
We are all constantly in some phase of our lives. Either we are already facing in the right direction and need to continue walking down this path, or we are still discovering what that right direction is for us. In the latter case, keep exploring and discovering what truly excites you and ignites your passion.
In both scenarios, it's important to remain persistent and find purpose in the daily adventures and challenges you encounter on your long-term journey of self-discovery and moving in the right direction.
Remember that in this moment and space, you are exactly where you need to be at this age.
Replace Envy With Forgiveness
Often, it is much easier to cultivate adversaries than to nurture friendly relationships in your life. However, by harboring envy and expressing negative emotions, you are not benefiting anyone, especially your own well-being.
Instead, when you experience envy or jealousy in any aspect of your life, take the time to analyze why you are feeling this way and what is causing it. Then, choose to replace that envy with acceptance and forgiveness. If your envy relates to a person, reach out to them and inquire about the source of your envy, such as how they achieved a certain position in life that you covet.
Breaking free from the cycle of envy can be challenging, but through forgiveness, gratitude, and a change in personal perspective, you can do so while granting yourself a fresh new start.
Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has read my work up until now and continues to do so. I'm also thankful to anyone who has contributed to the ideas or topics that I have written about. I appreciate all the feedback and love I have received during this journey, so I am excited to continue writing in the future.
As always, please feel free to let me know if there are any specific topics you would like me to explore, and I will gladly do so.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day 😊.
Principles And Questions To Carry With You Through 2023
Todays topic was partially inspired by the book that I am currently reading; “Best Self” by Mike Bayer, where the aim of the book is to analyze 6 main areas of your life (Social, Personal, Health, Education, Relationships, Employment and Spiritual Development) and figure out what in these areas you are currently doing good with and what you still want to improve on. I like the book because it is full of interactive writing exercises and I like how it is structured, which makes it easy to follow along and make the best use out of the genuinely useful chapters.
For this reason, I wanted to write up a list of general life principles that I think everyone can benefit from following/ incorporating more often into their lifestyle and also a include a practical list of questions aimed at enhancing your own personal discovery.
Wishing you pleasant reading ahead 😊
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Focus on doing your best instead of aiming for perfection
This is something that has become some wheat of a mantra for me, or something that I regularly repeat myself. I find that it is easy for me to get caught up in perfectionistic ideals where the goal is to do something absolutely right instead of focusing on learning and growth.
I find that this mindset can be very debilitating and genuinely slow down your progression as a person because
It makes you fear making mistakes which means that in theory you are afraid of learning and making progress - You essentially choose to stop living. You fear mistakes because they are a sign of you not being perfect in something which is an irrational thought in the first place because “perfection” in itself is a subjective experience.
It is a very unrealistic expectation to put onto yourself, meaning that when you do make a mistake (which we all do), you start obsessing over these little imperfections and you can become a very harsh critic on yourself.
Be your authentic self instead of changing yourself to fit others
This is an idea that is partially inspired by the book that I am reading and also my general experiences at university. I think that at the start when you are settling into a new environment and don't know many people, as soon as you do make a connecting with someone you can sometimes become very clingy and over dependent on that person for your social life. As a result you may start changing parts of yourself such as appearance, behavior or personality so that you can fit in more with that person or group, and feel less left out.
This makes sense to a degree as we all want to belong, but ask yourself is it worth the cost of loosing your real self? Would you prefer people to know you for your real self and enjoy being around that version of you or a made up facade you put up when you are around them?
I now consider it to be more important to be my genuine self when I am around people, meaning that I act, talk and think like the person I really am instead of someone I pretend to be. This makes it easier for me to attract other like minded people and see who I genuinely enjoy spending my time with.
Take things one by one and learn to take the time to slow down
This is a principle that often gets forgotten about, especially in the business of the every day, but I really believe that it is essentially to at least once a week or once a day find a moment to slow down a little bit. It can be for as little as taking 5-10 minutes for deep breaths in the morning or having a more laid back weekend afternoon. It is up to you, but implementing some more stillness into your life will help you with:
Reducing your levels of stress (Read more about stress here)
Better stress management for future stressful events
Becoming more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the present moment
Finding it easier to introspect and find out how certain things make you feel
Finding more enjoyment in the little things of everyday life
Life already happens fast enough around us, so why not take some time to momentarily slow it down?
I have also written about how to find more peace and tranquility in daily life here
Be mindful of your thoughts and the way you talk to yourself
I find the idea of negative self talk quite interesting because it makes me think, why would someone want to effectively be working against themselves? Against what is good for them? This essentially means that you are your own obstacle to your growth.
So, if you do find that, that you are someone who struggles with low self esteem and experiences chronic negative self talk such as “I suck at this, I will never be (x), I cant possibly do that, I am a failure etc.) then I would say the first step is to become aware of the thoughts you are having and when you get them. Consider what triggers this negative self talk for you; Is it when you are on social media browsing and comparing yourself to others or is it when you feel lonely and lack a support system?
Next, try to aim for developing a more open and growth orientated mindset where you reframe the negative things you say into more positive messages such as “I can do anything I put my mind and energy towards, I am just the way I need to be”. The more you practice these positive self affirmations and messages the more your mind will genuinely start believing them and as a result your confidence and what you achieve will greatly improve.
If you wouldn't say to someone else what your current negative self talk says to you, then don't say those things to yourself. It is only feeding into negativity when really you deserve to treat yourself like you treat any other person you really love - with love, belief and support.
Put your full presence and energy into any activity you intentionally choose to spend your time doing
This is a powerful thought because often we find ourselves multi tasking with different things or even if we are just doing one thing, we feel like our mind is in 100 other places and thoughts. Because of this, I think it can be beneficial to say to yourself that whatever you will be working on today or within the next x amount of time, you will choose to focus exclusively on that, and all other things will wait for after.
This will not only improve the quality of your work and sharpen your thought process behind these tasks (reducing the number of time consuming mistakes you make), but also shorten the amount of time it takes you to get something done.
Take care of yourself first and then everything else
This is often heard as some what a cliche but it does carry truth to it. If you find that you are not operating from your best level of self (poor sleep, low energy levels, distracted thoughts etc.) then not only will this make it much harder to tackle anything you have going on that day but also make it much harder for you to help others and maintain good social relations.
You feel much more fulfilled when you don't just live life for yourself but you live it by being of service to others
Often we might start dong things from a personal gain standpoint where we are doing things exclusively to benefit ourselves in what ever way that may be. While it is important to do things which bring benefit and pleasure to you, it is equally important that what you are doing, is also serving others in some shape or form. Any job or activity can be seen as solving a problem or meeting a need that people have, with which you are providing help, utility and service.
We all want to feel like we are valued and that we are working towards something bigger than just ourselves because when we find that balance of doing something which lights a spark inside you while also creating work that is meaningful and useful to others, that is where true happiness and fulfillment are found.
Go beyond yourself and ask yourself in what ways can you be helpful, useful or generally of service to to others in your everyday (it can be small or big)
Genuine happiness and satisfaction can not be obtained through external sources alone
Nowadays it is very easy to be convinced with the idea that sustained and long term happiness ands satisfaction can be bought through external means such as material goods, fancy lunches and having a surplus of everything. While everyone needs a certain level of materialism to be content and meet their needs, an excess here will not make you any happier especially when we are talking about being genuinely satisfied by your life.
The point I am trying to make is that while materialistic goods can spark temporary moments of joy and happiness, it is only a short term fix that quickly wears off leaving us thirsty for more; What was previously the goal for us is no longer enough and so we continuously want more.
This is a sign to reevaluate your priorities and really consider what brings you genuine long term happiness. Most often, true happiness arises both from internal sources such as having a good level of self esteem and attitude towards yourself as well as your environment such as the people you surround yourself with and the experiences you live.
Quit complaining and be proactive about your problems instead
Quite a simple statement but one that we often forget, since we are all sometimes victims of this.
When it comes to problems that you do have control over, you either have the option of continuing to complain about it and nothing changes or you choose to act and solve that problem so that it no longer bothers you.
When it comes to issues that are outside of your circle of control, then you can either place less importance on those problems/ decide to accept it and move on with our life or if you really do care, then do what you can to get into a position where you do have a influence over the issue and try to resolve it that way.
No one has a perfect past, so learn to make peace with anything that might be troubling you and learn to move on
Linking back to the previous point, with any traumatic, negative or unwanted experience in your past, you have the ability of analyzing your emotions towards that particular event and then coming to the stage where you have analyzed the problem enough that you are ready to accept that it is a thing of the past and can move on from that experience.
Of course it is useful to learn out of any negative experience, but being stuck in a permanently negative state of rumination or regret is also not the point, so make peace with your past and - It will almost feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders and you have gotten a fresh new energetic start.
Never choose to stop learning and growing in life
This links a lot to the first point I made in this list, where we often think that as soon as we have stopped going to school or getting a formal education, that we have learnt everything that we needed to and we can stop learning.
I think this is a wrong approach, especially since each year our world is becoming ever more complex, interconnected and fast paced meaning that new information, products, technologies, ideas, theories, solutions and advancements are coming out. So if we really want to feel like an integrated unit within a society, it is our job to stay up to date as much as possible and continuously absorb new information around us. Be like a full time “sponge”; thirsty for knowledge.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
Because I believe that reflection is a very powerful and genuinely useful tool to learn how to use, I wanted to write a list of general reflective questions which you can use at any time and I think are relevant to any individual, whatever stage in your life you might currently be in.
These questions are meant for your own personal introspection and to get to know your current strengths, weaknesses, points to improve on and trying to identify what kind of life really resonates with you. You can even answer these same questions every couple of months or at the start of each year to see how your own answers change as you learn more about yourself.
If you are additionally interested in the process of journaling and reflecting, I have written the following blog posts on this topic:
What are your top 5 core values and do you currently live through those values? If not, how could you change that, or is it that those values are not your true values?
Consider what actually matters most to you in the end? What actually makes a “good day” good for you?
Which beliefs/ mindsets, old routines and genuine fears are holding you back from doing what you genuinely want to do and living your best life?
What would your ideal day look like? What would you spend your time doing and who would you be with?
What are activities that make you feel truly alive and when was the last time you did them? How could you do them more often?
What are the constructive habits that you want to build and unhealthy habits you want to let go of?
What are some things you currently want to make a change about in your life (Work related, personal, hobbies, health, relationships, attitude etc.)
What are things which are currently worrying your mind? Are those worries and fears rational and if so, what would be the best way for you to manage them?
In what ways am I living life authentically and true to me right now? In what ways do I still have to create alignment between what I currently do and who I really want to be?
Who are people that genuinely inspire you and continue to fill you with new uplifting energy?
What are some things or people you could not imagine living without? How can you take them less for granted and express gratitude for them more often?
What would my absolutely ideal life look like? (Where would you live, your occupation, family?, hobbies, social circle etc.)
I hope that you were able to get some genuinely useful tools and insight through todays post and that it helps you on your own reflective personal growth journey.
Feel free to adapt any of the questions above to make them more suitable or specific to you.
Thank you for taking your time today to read this ☀️
Reflecting On The Year 2022
The eventful year of 2022 is starting to come to an end and with that it is good to take time to pause and retrospect back on what has happened and how we have grown as individuals. So much can happen within a year so it is important to acknowledge the improvements, achievements, changes and progress we have made in our lives.
I encourage you to take the time to reflect, it does not have to be a long and complex process, but ultimately one that can benefit you in the long run.
Hope you enjoy the read and happy holidays to all of you 💛
WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO TAKE TIME TO REFLECT
The reason why why should bother to reflect on the past year are many, but I think fore mostly, reflecting gives us a time to slow down and really think through our thoughts and ultimately decide wether we are moving our life in the direction we want to be going in. It allows us to simultaneously asses what are the aspects we are doing well on and also plan for the future year in terms of considered what we would still like to improve on and where our future goals life
Reflecting is a useful use of your time because it allows you to asses the core reason for why you do the things you do and also considering wether there is a smarter and more efficient way of doing things.
Additionally retrospecting on the past allows us to see how we have progressed and grown as individuals, which can for many be quite motivating for pursuing future interests
22 QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON 2022
Below I have made a list of some useful questions which you can use for your personal yearly reflection. Feel free to add your own and adjust it to your needs.
What were the highlights of the year for you?
What are you proud of yourself for?
What was your biggest most memorable accomplishment this year?
Who is the person that you could not have gotten through this year without?
Which activities energized you and which ones drained you of energy?
Which habits helped you and which ones held you back?
What challenges did you overcome?
How do you want to optimize/ improve about some of the activities/ hobbies which you did through the year?
What skills do you learn or improve on?
What is your favorite memory from 2022?
What were the biggest time wasters for you in 2022?
What were the most fun memories of 2022?
What were the best uses of my time this year?
What is something you can do today which you could not have done a year ago?
Which mindsets do you want to let go of for the new year?
What got in the way of your success or achieving all of your set goals?
Who are the best people you met throughout the year and why?
If you had to describe the year 2022 in 3 words, what would they be?
Which one of your personal qualities turned out to be most useful this year?
What are the most important learning lessons you have learned?
Was there something you did for the first time in your life this year?
Which worries of yours turned out to be completely unnecessary in the end?
What are you grateful for in the year 2022?
I hope that the year 2022 brought you many beautiful memories and valuable experiences and that todays post helped you acknowledge and write them down. Take some time for yourself towards the end of each year and you will start to see how it can help you achieve a greater sense of calm and satisfaction for the year which has passed while allowing you to plan and visualize the year ahead that will be ripe with opportunities.
Within the next post I will be talking about planning and setting the foundations of your 2023 goals, so stay in tune for that.
Thank you so much for reading.
The Power Of Self Reflecting
I am noticing more and more the importance of taking time to reflect on the activities which we do, why we do them and to check in with ourselves in terms of how we feel. Self reflections can especially be ignored and underused when we are in particularly busy periods of our life, where we do the majority of things on “autopilot” mode instead of taking some more time to think more deeply about how we spend pour time.
Wether you are currently in a busy period of your life or one that is filled with more time and calmness, I think that reflecting is a very good tool to use, especially if you feel unsure wether you think you are making the right choices and generally moving in the right direction.
I hope you enjoy this one 💭
BENEFITS OF REFLECTING
More Self Awareness
When we self reflect, we center in on ourselves in the current moment which produces a state of calmness. With this opportunity to reflect, we become more aware of how we feel, what we want and who do we want to be/ what we want to be striving for.
We are able to notice our core values which should ideally guide our intentions and decision making, as well as separate our emotions from our thoughts, allowing us to look at various situations and experiences more objectively and rationally.
Better Decision Making
With more awareness of our values and having a better idea of what we want more or less of in our life, we are able to make better longterm decisions which will both benefit us and others, while also not instilling a sense of regret in us by having make a rushed and regretful decision.
Furthermore, we also become more aware of the decision making process itself instead of only focusing on the final decision - the outcome. In this way, we are able to stop ourselves before we make a rash choice while also being open minded and honest about how we feel about the process which will help bring more objectivity.
Align Your Actions With Your Intentions
Once we start making better decisions for ourselves, we are on the way of living more true to ourselves and who we are. Our actions start feeling more aligned with the true version of ourselves which is an empowering feeling as we are no longer compromising our self or living based on how others want us to be.
Improved Critical Thinking
When we take the time to reflect, we are able to give more space and time to our thoughts and feelings which allows us to look at a situation without objectively without being influenced by excessive emotions. During this stage, we are able to analyze and learn from our behavior, noticing what we did right and what is something we should work on for the future.
It allows us to be aware and mindful of ourselves, our behavior and the things we say, as often times these actions impact the relationships we hold with others and ourselves in ways we may not even be aware of.
Furthermore, as we have more time to think through our actions and thoughts, we are more likely to recognize the root issue of a problem much faster and be able to implement suitable changes more effectively.
Increased Personal Growth
Through personal reflection we are consistently learning about ourselves and adjusting our life according to what we learn about ourselves. By becoming more educated about your own thoughts, needs, wants and feelings, you are able to speed up your personal growth journey through the discussed decision making benefits and appropriate critical thinking skills.
You are able to make a better and longer lasting contribution to yourself and in turn also others, by being more mindful of what activities you need to do more or less of in order to become that better version of yourself which you are striving for. You increase your chances of learning from your past mistakes and being more open minded to new perspectives of looking at topics.
25 REFLECTION QUESTIONS & PROMPTS
Below I have included some questions you can use for doing your personal reflection just to make the process a bit more easier.
What are you currently feeling?
Where in your body do you feel these emotions?
Why do you think you feel this way?
Are you happy feeling these feelings or do you want to change them?
Which thoughts do you keep thinking of?
Why do you keep thinking of them?
What are some opportunities for growth and learning you currently have?
What is currently challenging to you?
What do you keep holding on to which you should let go of?
What are some things that you are currently doing and not doing, which you would regret in the future if you did or didn't continue doing?
What are some of your top priorities right now?
What is something in your work and personal life that you are currently doing and is working well?
What are the biggest obstacles you are facing right now?
What is the best way of how to overcome those obstacles?
What is your ideal self like?
What are things which you are striving for?
How can you treatment yourself and others better?
How can you improve your relationship with others?
Identify the most common activities you do in a day and identify why you do them
What is one skill that would help you out a lot right now if you learned it?
What am I proud of myself for?
What is something you did or handled well in the past week/ month?
What can you learn from your past mistakes or negative experiences?
When ever you are faced with making a difficult decision, ask yourself what are the pros and cons of it and the potential opportunities or fallbacks which may get overlooked
If you continue down the path you are currently headed doing what you do, where do you see yourself in 1, 5 and 10 years time?
5 STEPS TO MAKING SELF REFLECTION A HABIT
Determine the following points first before starting:
Time of the day/ week/ month you will do your personal reflection (morning, evening?)
For how long you will do it for when you do it (10 minutes, 30 minutes?)
Format of reflection (digital or paper?)
Wether you will journal based on free flowing questions that come to mind or use a list of journaling prompts to help you out
Put your journal or device in a convenient place where it is easy for you to start reflecting
Try sticking to the habit for a week and see wether you like it and what would you change about this routine to make it more suitable to you (adapt it)
Track your habit progress and consistency for keeping yourself motivated
Reward yourself every so often for sticking to a habit which is beneficial to you
I hope that you found this article interesting and also useful for when you do your own personal reflection. I urge you to not underestimate the importance of self reflecting and see for yourself how it can improve your life and clarity behind your thoughts, feelings and actions.
Thanks for reading 💛
Reflecting On The Year 2020
Although many of us would agree that 2020 certainly was a weird and unpredictable year, full of different setbacks and unimaginable experiences, what f instead of dreading 2020, e decided to look back on the year of 2020 and see all the ways in which we have grown and everything we have achieved for ourselves and for others.
Reflection in this way can be such a powerful tool and habit, as you will see below. I encourage that you take time to reflect on yourself and your own life at least once a year, however, if you are able to do it on a monthly or weekly basis as you see fit, then that can be even more effective if done with the right reason.
Do not underestimate the power that a simple quiet time spent reflecting can hold; it can literally be life-changing in the long run.
WHY SHOULD WE TAKE TIME TO REFLECT?
Remembering the most memorable and important events that happened
Often so much happens to us in a single year, that without taking time to reflect on it, we are likely to miss on everything that happened and in the end just forget about it all. With reflection, you can strengthen your memory as well as be so much more grateful, for realizing all of the beautiful things that happened to you and shaped you into who you are today
Very useful for setting future goals
Through reflection, we are able to see all that we have achieved in the past year and also all things that we perhaps did not achieve yet with which we are immediately able to see all of the things and areas which we have to work on for the next year. Furthermore, you are able to look back on the mistakes you have made and the wrong decisions you took, from which you can learn and not repeated them again in the future.
Being able to see progress and improvements
One great aspect of reflection is that you are able to step back in time temporarily and acknowledge all the areas in your life for which you have improved at, learned something new, or got to experience a novel sensation. As was discussed in my previous post on motivation (Losing Motivation? Here Is How To Get Back On Track), we are also much more likely to be motivated if we see progress in the things we do, and reflection turns out to be great for that.
Temporarily slows the passing of time
When we are busy with our occupations, we seem to just lose track of time, and days weeks and months seem to just pass by in one collective blur, but through reflection you take your time to pick apart separate events that occurred in different times of the year, allowing you to stop the rush of time, even if just for a little while
Seeing if you are actually headed in the direction you want to go in
So often we continuously do things either out of habit or routine even though they are either not beneficial to us or no longer meaningful to us. When we take time to reflect on what we spend our time doing in the previous year, we are able to decide whether we are spending our time well, and foremostly intentionally - in other words, if we are headed towards the goals which we set ourselves.
20 QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON 2020
Here are a couple of questions that you could use as a guideline in order to reflect on the past year. Feel free to answer as many of them as you need and also use some of your own.
If you make good use of this exercise, it can yield you a lot of positive changes and life lessons.
What are some of the best lessons you learned during last year?
What are some of your most memorable moments that happened?
What difficulties and challenges were you able to overcome?
What did you do for your personal growth?
What did you do for your academic/ career growth?
What new positive habits did you start?
What were your biggest achievements and accomplishments?
What were you able to learn about yourself?
What were some of the best decisions you took?
What were some times you made mistakes and failed?
How did you react when you made the mistake or experienced failure?
What was something that got in the way of your success last year?
In what ways are you a different person compared to the previous year?
How did you take care of my physical and mental health?
What were some of the most valuable resources you had?
Who were the people last year, who made the biggest impact on you?
What beliefs, mindset or attitudes did you let go of from last year?
What are 5 things that you are grateful for from last year?
What projects, promises or work did you leave unfinished last year?
What advice would you give yourself one year ago?
