Fresh Start Monday #68: Reflection questions for 2023

The end of the year is a natural time for reflection.

In today's newsletter, I'll give you several questions to think about your 2023. It's like Spotify wrapped but for your personal life.

Setting New Year's Resolutions and thinking ahead is popular, but it's only one part of the equation. Without reflection, we don't learn, we don't adjust, and we don't grow.

For some of you, reflecting on the past year might be difficult. It may have gone differently than planned. You may be avoiding looking back.

2023 New Year's Resolutions gone awry, failed goals, or attempts at new habits are not something you should criticize or scold yourself over. View them as a clue. It’s simply an iteration that will lead to something better. What patterns keep showing up?

For example, when I look back at things that could have gone better this past year, the main theme is lack of structure. I'm not a naturally structured or organized person.

I love the freedom of entrepreneurship, but my biggest learning from this past year is the need to create more self-imposed structure and routines to remove daily decision-making.

When I look ahead to 2024, I will include the structure that allows those goals to thrive.

How to reflect on 2023

I approach yearly reflections by starting broad, and then once I reflect on the big picture, I like to answer more specific questions based on what comes up.

My favorite reflection helps reorient and check in with yourself.

Write down where and who you were exactly a year ago, on December 18th, 2022. What were your goals and dreams for 2024?

As you sit here today on December 18th, 2023 are you on the right path?

You can do this for different areas of your life, career, health, wealth, relationships, etc. The goal is to understand whether you're moving in the right direction. Base your 2024 goals on whether you want to speed up or change this direction altogether.

Broad questions to consider:

  • What is one word that sums up 2023? Why?

  • Who were you this year?

  • What went well this year?

  • Which activities, experiences, or people gave you energy?

  • Which activities, experiences, or people drained your energy?

Learnings:

  • What did you do a lot of this year that you want to do less of next year?

  • What mistakes did you make over and over?

  • What surprised you from this past year?

  • What do you want to remember about 2023?

  • What did you learn?

The prompts that I created specifically for myself that have been hitting hard:

  • Did you go after what you want, or did you hope it would come to you?

  • What did you not do because of fear?

  • Which event or experience that you deemed negative turned out to be a gift/opportunity?

Let me know if you want specific journal prompts for reflecting on something in your life!

Local to Boulder, CO?

Join me this Wednesday (12/20) on Meetup for a biweekly journaling group! Opening this up to all ages!

Wine & Words on Wednesdays - Journaling Group

Wednesday, December 20th at 6pm MT at Silver Vines Winery

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