How To Reflect On The Past Year

How To Reflect On The Past Year

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences,

and failing to achieve anything useful.”

– Margaret J. Wheatley

The new year is around the corner and now is the best time to get ready for it.

And the first thing to do is to review the past year

So, you’ll have a clear picture of what happened and what you can do next year

Reviewing the year is important for progressing toward your goals and vision 

this article is the 2ed in the Start the Year strong to Grow series

1st is about how to get ready for the new year check it out here

and the rest of the series will be linked at the end of the post

What you’ll learn:

1- the process of reviewing your year

2-review journaling prompts 

The benefits of each prompt and example

Let’s get to it

How To Reflect On The Past Year

The process of reviewing your year 

1-block 30-45 min on your calendar to do it

2- sit down with a pen and paper 

3-set your timer for 30-45 min

4-start

Simple, right!!!

Here are 7 review journaling prompts alongside my explanation

They will involve looking at your wins, lessons, growth, failure, and preparation for next year

for each question you can go further and look into how you can create more or less of

1-What are you celebrating about 2023? What are the wins?

It’s important to celebrate our wins. It serves as motivation to keep going and accomplish more goals. also, serves as an acknowledgment of the great things we did whether they are big or small

here is my answer(Example):

1-Showing up consistently on social media

2-Doing lives regularly 

2-What does growth look like for you this year? why are you proud of yourself for the growth that you experienced?

How did you grow this year? What are things you did that you are proud of?

Acknowledging our growth serves as a reward that motivates us to keep going, to helps us develop our self-image and confidence

how can you create more things to be proud of

here’s my answer (Example)

1-Doing things no matter what I feel

2-The realization that even if the process is easy/simple, it doesn’t mean I won’t experience fear, doubt, or discomfort

3-Who were you in January and who are you now 

How did you grow as a person since the start of the year?

Look into yourself and what changes that happened to you

To acknowledge how you grow by comparing yourself to yourself 

Here is my answer (example)

Who were you in January	Who are you now
1-I was so scared, doubtful of myself and my ability to show up as a creator 2-i was afraid to share my work online	1-I was so scared, doubtful of myself and my ability to show up as a creator 2-I was afraid to share my work online

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4-What is the wisdom that you have gained from the things that didn’t work, from the failure?

What would our future self tell us about what you went through

 It’s important to get the lessons from our failures because it helps us see what we can do instead, and look into overcoming the reasons that led to the failure

Here is my answer (example)

1- changing my goal mid-year and achieving it >> The wisdom I gained is

that not pivoting and changing my goal is valid since I have new evidence and finally trust my gut

2-choosing one thing to focus on one thing is hard for me that has been the case for the past several years which spreads me thin

so, I decided to focus on one skill and eliminate distractions I feel so much relief and ease in my mind and body

5-if there is anything you need to let go of or forgive yourself for before starting the new year?

Something that feels heavy (something you feel shame, resentment, regret toward) that you

still holding onto and it doesn’t feel like a big deal, habits, things you did whether they are tangible or not

Offload the packages from 2023 so you can get into the new year with a fresh and clear mind that isn’t burdened by leftovers from last year

Here is mine(example)

I forgive myself for not hitting the goal

I forgive myself for getting stuck

I let go of beating myself 

I let go of “looking for the right answer”

6-What one lesson can I take from 2023? and how can you implement it if it is easy, what would you do? Be specific actionable things 

this question is to make things tangible. Think of a lesson you feel that you need to implement in the new year to succeed not only that but what actions are you going to take to implement it 

(note: you can do up to 3 max if you feel like you want to do more or one isn’t enough)

here’s my answer (example)

The lesson is to let go of staying comforted, overwhelmed, confusion 

Practical things to do that: (look in my previous posts for answers)

1-notice when that happens 

2-actively calm myself down and shift my thoughts plus remind myself 

that won’t magically stop doing 

3-ask myself am I being emotional or logical in this situation?

(note: if you are not satisfied and you feel you need to reflect more on what lessons you learned you’ll love the bounce question which will be right after the last question )

lastly,

7-what would you say to yourself about last year, if you were your biggest cheerleader?

To wrap things up with this lovely question.

the goal of This question is to encourage yourself, give advice, reassurance,…etc  

here’s my answer(Example):

you have done great. I am proud of you because you showed for your goals like never before 

You’ve grown so much the previous year

I’m truly proud of you

You are capable of more than you think,

you’re so strong, brave and amazing 

I love you and I enjoyed our ride together 

A Bonus Question- what are 3-5 lessons you learned from your wins & failures? 

this question is if you want to dig even deeper but I can assure you that the previous questions are enough since they cover your wins and failures and lessons

Start by answering what were your wins and failures from last year. Then extract the lessons from them (3-5 wins and failures)

3wins,3 lessons from these wins and how can you create more of them

3 failures,3 lessons from them and how can you create more of them

want more Questions to help you reflect on the past year then check this article here

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this post is part of Start the Year Strong to Grow series

All of these posts have an aim to help you prepare for the new year and start the year strong

here is the list of all the articles at the start of the year’s strong to growth series

• How To Get Ready For The New Year
• How To Reflect On The Past Year
• How To Set Goals That Actually Work
• How To Make A Plan To Reach Your Goals
• How To Set Habits
• 3 Mindsets You Need To Succeed At Every Goal
• Can’t Get Myself Motivated? 3 Powerful Ways To Get Motivated
• How To Beat Procrastination Tips: 5 Strategies Based On Science

Don’t forget to do it before the new year,

cheering for you

Wafaa