[Zoom Meeting] Reflecting on the Year 2023 📝🔍

I’ve been cultivating a personal practice/ceremony of reflecting on the year as it comes to a close over the past few years now. I’m know not alone or unique in this practice, as evidenced by the countless lists of great questions and reflection prompts available all over the internet.

One of the challenges I’ve encountered in this process has been finding questions that actually align with the kind of growth and awareness I’m hoping to foster within myself. I could easily copy/paste hundreds of questions from various sources but that would instantly turn into yet another task on my to-do list that I either feel overwhelmed by or strive to complete perfectly. Basically yet another opportunity to “miss the forest for the trees” and sidestepping the entire point of the activity: mindful, compassionate, insightful self-reflection.

In this way, I’ve come to notice that even the questions we ask ourselves are worth reflecting on as they guide and shape our curiosity and perception. I know that my personality type skews heavily towards constant self-improvement, that I often process things analytically, and that I miss or avoid the opportunity to connect to the underlying emotions.

Last year I bookmarked a post that I thought was asking really poignant and challenging questions.

Things to consider as you wrap up the year:

• What’s been hard for you to admit to yourself?
• What was the hardest thing you said to someone?
• What is different about you from this time last year?
• Who do you want to build a deeper relationship with?
• What internal challenge has taught you the most about yourself?
• How did you align your behavior with your values?
• What did you find most challenging to work through this year?

@nedratawwab | Post

Drawing inspiration from this post, I can’t help but reflect on and observe my emotional response to each of the questions. Disappointment when it doesn’t feel like I have an easy, positive, or complete answer. Frustration when the reflecting brings up reminders of my weaknesses and shortcomings. Discomfort and fear when questions focus on things I’ve been actively avoiding. Why? Because those thoughts are also painful? Sadness and grief over the unfulfilled desires and longings that continue into another year.

At the beginning on 2023, I set the intention of “Dismantling Imposter Syndrome” which quickly morphed into its final form “Self Acceptance”. This intention has shaped the questions I want to add to my reflection exercise.

Cale’s personal questions for self-reflection over this past year:

• How has your intention changed your beliefs?
• How has your intention changed your self-talk?
• How has your intention changed your behavior?
• What are you proud to celebrate about yourself?
• What would other people highlight about you that you’re still struggling to celebrate about yourself?
• What lesson(s) from this year were so helpful that you plan on incorporating them into the rest of your life?

Reflection Prompts:

Come up with your own short list of questions to reflect on and also spend some time noticing the types of questions you chose to ask yourself.

Choose one or two questions that you would like to contribute during the Zoom group meeting for self-reflection as well.