As we close out 2022, I figured I would share a bit of my reflection and goal setting process. Every year, I think it's extremely important to look back on the wins, the lessons, and all the ground that was covered in your year. Here are 21 questions you can ask yourself to appreciate the last 12 months and use to set bigger, better, and more purposeful goals in the upcoming year.
21 QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON AS YOU END 2022
BACKWARD LOOKING QUESTIONS
- What were the big moments, memories, and milestones from this year? (Try to pick 3-5 for each month)
- How could I be a better:
- Son/daughter
- Employee
- Manager
- Partner
- Mentor
- Friend
- What are some things that weighed on me or felt heavy throughout the year? (What did I learn from them?)
- How did I grow as a person (in health, wealth, relationships, career, etc)?
- New habits
- New priorities
- New preferences
- New perspectives
- What things do I look back on most fondly, that brought me the most energy and joy? (How can I do more in 2023)
- People
- Places
- Habits
- Tasks
- Experiences
- What am I most grateful for in 2022 (Maintain the list throughout the year and review it at the end of the year)
- What things do I look back on less fondly, draining my energy and weighing on me throughout the year? (How can I do fewer of these things in 2023)
- People
- Places
- Habits
- Tasks
- Experiences
- What’s on my “best of” list or my highlight reel in 2022?
- Books
- Events
- Articles
- Podcasts
- Purchases
- New habits
- What were my biggest achievements in 2022? (What are the 20% of things that led to this achievement?)
- Where did I most fall short in this 2022? (What are the 20% of things that contributed to me falling short?)
- People
- Priorities
- Routines
- Environments
FORWARD LOOKING QUESTIONS
1. What am I lying to myself about that my single biggest bottleneck to my continued growth? (And why aren’t I relentlessly focused on removing it?)
2. Imagine your career is a game & ask questions like:
- What game am I playing?
- What are the rules of the game?
- How do players advance?
- How do players lose?
- Is this game still serving me?
3. What are some things I could start doing today that would guarantee an absolutely horrible year? (And how can I avoid doing those things - Habits, People, Environments, etc ?)
4. Where am I taking myself too seriously? (And where am I making things harder than they need to be with my finite resources?)
- Time
- Energy
- Attention
- Capital
5. What were the best investments I made this year (people, things, assets, etc)
6. How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?
7. What were the 5 most difficult conversations of the year?
8. If I had unlimited money, how would I invest today to increase my time, energy, or happiness?
9. If I repeated my weekly actions every week for 5 years, where would I end up? (Is this where I want to end up?)
10. What’s currently nagging me that I could: (And what is it about my current routines that have me overlooking the fact I can do this?)
- Automate
- Eliminate
- Delegate
11. How could I achieve my 5-year goals in 1 year? (And similarly, how could I achieve 10x my 1-year goals this year?)
5 Bonus Questions:
- Where do I need the most mentorship or accountability this year that could positively impact the next 5 years?
- What’s one financial investment I can make this year at a minimum that I could make each year going forward that leads to financial freedom?
- What’s one skill I need to develop or enhance this year that will serve me in achieving my 5 year vision
- What's one physical challenge I can commit to this year that makes me uncomfortable, but I know I can accomplish.
- If I got nothing else done this year, what would be the most important goal to get accomplished
These are some great questions that allow you to look in the rearview mirror and identify what served you, what didn’t, where you crushed it, and where you can improve.
The goal shouldn’t be to be perfect. The goal should be to enhance your awareness so you can be better equipped and prepared to improve in the coming year. Using these questions will help you improve year over year, and by doing so over an extended period of time, the potential for your life and achievements will be well beyond what you ever initially imagined.
If you’re setting your goals up for 2023 and want to experience the convenience and benefits of a full years worth of planning in one place, get your Rich Life annual planner today. The PDF is currently available and the physical copies of the planner will be available for purchase and shipping in mid January.
Onward and Upward,
Matty A
