What to Reflect On

Year-end reflection should cover the full range of the year's experience. The accomplishments — what was achieved, what was completed, what was begun. The setbacks — what failed, what was delayed, what was learned from the failure. The relationships — who mattered, who was lost, who was neglected. The growth — what was learned, what was changed, what was discovered. The reflection that covers all of these areas produces a comprehensive picture of the year, and the picture, once assembled, reveals patterns that the day-to-day experience obscures.

The Questions

Effective reflection is guided by questions. What went well? What did not? What surprised me? What did I learn? What would I do differently? What do I want to carry forward? What do I want to leave behind? The questions, answered honestly, produce the insights that the unexamined year does not yield. The honesty is essential — the reflection that is self-congratulatory or self-critical produces neither insight nor growth. The reflection that is honest — acknowledging both the good and the difficult — produces both.

Carrying It Forward

The purpose of year-end reflection is not to dwell on the past. It is to carry the lessons forward. The reflection should produce, from the insights, a set of intentions for the coming year — not resolutions, which are fragile, but intentions, which are directional. The intentions, grounded in the lessons of the year that is ending, guide the year that is beginning, and the guidance, maintained, makes each year a building block rather than a repetition. The person who reflects at the end of each year, and carries the reflections forward, lives a life that compounds in wisdom, and the compounding, over years, produces a depth that the unreflective life cannot match.