This post highlights Part I of a powerful process to help you reflect on 2012 and plan for an amazing 2013.
The new year will be here in a few days, and it’s the perfect time to reflect on 2012 as well as set intentions for what you want to happen in 2013. Perhaps you’d like to join me in a guided reflection process to wrap up the end of the year? Today, I’m sharing ten of the journaling questions I’ll be using for myself that you can use to conduct your own review of 2012.
After 12 whole months, it can be easy to forget all the things that happened to you. So here’s your chance to reflect on everything that came into your life in 2012.
What you’ll need for your Review of 2012:
- A notebook and a pen (or a laptop and a blank Word document, if you prefer to type)
- A block of quiet time over the next few days
The following set of 10 journaling questions will require you to dig deep. It may be difficult to think back over the course of a year, but give this assignment at least an hour so your mind can quiet down, be still and remember what was important. (Of course, you are free to use your own questions to conduct your review or simply use this list as a jumping-off point for something completely different. As an example, you can read my Review of 2011.)
What I Want to Remember About 2012
- What was the most valuable lesson you learned this year?
- What was the biggest personal milestone you reached this year in your relationships, health, finances, education and/or lifestyle?
- What professional accomplishments (at work or in your business) were you most proud of this year?
- What was your favorite family/friends moment from 2012?
- What was the best book/blog/song/movie/restaurant/city/country/etc. you discovered this year?
What I Want to Leave Behind As I Enter 2013
- Which personal development area(s) did you make the LEAST progress on this year: health, finances, education, relationships, family, work and/or lifestyle?
- What promises (to yourself or others) did you break in 2012?
- What arguments/gossip/hurtful comments, if any, did you participate in or make this year that you wish you could take back and/or apologize for?
- What opportunities, if any, did you miss out on in 2012 because of fear or procrastination?
- What did you do in 2012, if anything, that was out of alignment with your values?
Will you be joining me to review 2012? If you’ve already completed your review, did anything surprise you about your reflections on the year?
When you’re done, feel free to share all or part of your review with us in the comments! If you blogged about it, be sure to come back here and post the link so we can read it.
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.
Hi there, You have done a great job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends.
I am confident they will be benefited from this website.
Hello Rosetta, thank you for creating these questions. I conducted my own personal review that will be kept private but I did use your questions as inspiration for a general reflecting of 2012 that I deemed suitable for posting on my blog. Question 5 on the ‘What I want to leave behind’ section of the questions was a surprise for me. It is very easy to forget your usual values when faced with a new environment. Your blog is brilliant! Keep up the great work. LT -x-
I really like the question about what I didn’t accomplish because of fear. I let go of a couple of goals due to procrastination but I’m very committed to working through the fear this year and realizing I am the only thing that actually holds myself back. Thanks Rosetta for the questions as they give me food for thought as I create my goals for the year. A review of my thoughts about the last year are here Life Lessons from 2012 http://wp.me/p2SXta-hp. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment on lorrikey.com
By the way, writing my first book is my major goal for the year and it’s going to be geared towards young women.
Rosetta,
The journaling questions you present to review our year with a very well balanced considering there are the positives of what you can congratulate yourself with, things you really want to remember; then there are the things you want to leave behind. I think it’s important to be aware of what is working and WHAT ISN’T so you can determine and create intention toward positive change. I love this!
I have chosen your post, Review 2012: Ten Journaling Questions to Help You Reflect on the Past Year, for the #JournalChat Pick of the Day on 12/31/12 for all things journaling on Twitter;
I will post a link on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, my blog and website Refresh with Dawn Herring, and in my weekly Refresh Journal: http://tinyurl.com/csbexv3.
#JournalChat Live is every Thursday, 5 EST/2 PST, for all things journaling on Twitter; our topic this week is Your Journaling: Your Thoughts Re-Purposed!
Thanks again for this fabulous journaling exercise that can open our eyes to our lives and help us create a healthful balance!
Be refreshed,
Dawn Herring
Host of #JournalChat Live and Links Edition on Twitter
Author of The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child
Thanks so much for these questions Rosetta – I really appreciated the guidance in doing the review. I’m hoping the link for my post comes through.
as per usual – i love hbw posts!!!
made for a better year end review than i would have been able to come up with!
http://wp.me/p1Ow5g-hn (scheduled for tomorrow morning).
thanks for the inspiration!!
Thank you for this post! I sat up all night reflecting and thinking about my life. I also added in the questions from your reflection 2011. It was much longer but I had the time and it was definitely worth it! For all who care to read my reflection the link is below. I’d also like to read others if you have a blog.
:peace
http://www.loving-mahogany.com/2012/12/2012-reflection.html
This is great. It’s also perfect timing because I started a blog post in July around this very topic so that I wouldn’t forget at the end of this year. It’s sitting in my blog’s Drafts folder. I plan to make a list of everything I’ve done this year, mostly thanks to Meetup. I’ll likely publish it after New Year’s Day.
I’ll definitely be joining you to review my year. I appreciate these focused questions.
Yes I will be joining. Thanks for the motivation to reflect.