Journal Prompts for your Year End Reflection

Written by Team Season

This time of year, I get so excited about the start of a new year, upgrading my goals, dreaming bigger... and I want to leap right into planning my goals for the following year. But I believe there is great importance in looking backward first — as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. So let’s take a moment to reflect on the year that we just experienced. Here are some steps to follow and questions to journal about so that you can start planning 2022 with a clear perspective on where you want to go next year. 

Goals

Did you set any goals last year? If so, review them, one by one. For each goal ask yourself this:

• Did you achieve this goal to your liking? 
• Did this accomplishment make you feel proud?
• If not, where did you miss the mark? 
• Why do you think this happened?
• Did this goal carry you through the year or did it become irrelevant or uninspiring?
• Is this goal something you want to take into next year or something you can leave behind in 2021?

If you didn’t set any goals for yourself, or you don’t remember them, take time to think about these questions:

• What were you most proud of accomplishing this year? 
• What did you accomplish that you didn’t feel acknowledged for? 
• What’s lacking that only you can remedy in your relationships, health, career, or spiritual life?
• What were four major lessons you learned this past year? 
• What was missing from your success?

Wellness

In our Seven Dimensions of Wellness article, we talk about all the facets of holistic wellness in our lives. For each of the Dimensions of Wellness — physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, and occupational, ask yourself the following questions. If you need a refresher on each of these dimensions, check out the article linked above.

• Are you currently confident in, indifferent, or disappointed with where your [physical, emotional, etc.] wellness is? Categorize each dimension of wellness.
• Which dimension of wellness brings you the most positive energy and joy?
• Which dimension of wellness do you struggle with the most? What do you believe is standing in the way of making progress in this area of your wellness?

Memorable Moments

For this exercise, think of specific days or moments that come to mind from this year — both positive and negative. Life is full of ups and downs, and it’s been proven that we can move forward with a better outlook if we can journal about the bad with the good. 

• What day or moment stands out in your mind where you experienced happiness, ease, and felt like your full authentic self?
• Relive this moment and write about how you felt, who you were with, and what made it so memorable.
• How can you intentionally manifest more of these moments in your life next year?
• What day or moment stands out in your mind where you experienced sadness, grief, discomfort, frustration, or felt inauthentic? 
• Write about how you felt in this moment, who you were with, and what may have caused these negative feelings. 
• Unfortunate circumstances are many times out of our control, but we can decide how we react, learn, and grow from them. They give us insight into how we process and deal with discomfort. What did you learn about yourself from this experience? How will you grow from this experience?

We hope these questions spark a meaningful reflection on your year, and wish the best as you begin to plan those big hopes and dreams for next year!