The first month of the year is one often filled with reflection, goals, resolutions, and hopes for the new year. It can be super healing and exciting to think about these things! It can make us feel ready to tackle the new year, help to be mindful about what we succeeded in the past year, and generally help us feel more intentional and grounded. But, it can also feel really overwhelming. It’s hard, sometimes, to know where to start with reflection - especially reflection of a whole year.

Below are some intentional and (hopefully) manageable questions to get you started as you reflect and plan for the new year. Feel free to go through them all by yourself or with loved ones, or just pick a few that speak to you and go from there. Happy reflecting!

1. What was my most joyous memory from this past year? What about that memory can I carry forward in this upcoming year?

2. What was my most painful memory from this past year? What about that memory can I honor or find value in to inform this upcoming year?

3. What was the best advice I got this past year? How can I incorporate this into my upcoming year’s goals or plans?

4. In what ways did I grow or change in the past year? What looks different about me or my life now from a year ago?

5. How do I want to grow or change this coming year? In what ways do I want myself or my life to look different in a year’s time?

6. How did my relationships change or evolve this past year? What new connections did I form? Which existing relationships were strengthened? Which existing relationships were weakened, or (intentionally or unintentionally) faded?

7. Which relationships do I want to prioritize or strengthen/deepen this coming year? Would making new connections enhance my life in any way, or act as a burden?

8. How did I spend my time this past year? Which activities or priorities took up most of my time? Did this feel balanced and/or aligned with my values?

9. In what ways would I like to change how I spend my time this coming year? What do I want to make more time for that I didn’t last year? What do I want to spend less time doing this year?

10. How did I rest this year? Does my body or soul feel exhausted, or content, at the end of this year? Did I give my body what it needed this year?

11. Do I want to redefine my relationship with or practice of rest this coming year? In what ways? What do I want to give myself more (or less) of to feel more rested?

12. In what way(s) did I succeed this past year? What were my “wins”? What did I learn that I can bring forward into the new year?

13. In what way(s) did I fail this past year? What were my “losses”? What did I learn that I can bring forward into the new year?

14. What did I grieve for this past year? (A person, a life change, a societal or global conflict, a shifted relationship, etc) How can I honor that grief while moving forward into the coming year?

15. What are my dreams for this coming year? Nope, not goals - dreams! Are my dreams as big as I deserve? How can I use my imagination and belief in myself to dream bigger this year?

15 Intentional Questions To Ask Yourself In The New Year