2014 year end reflection questions

this is our second year as a married couple to partake in a couple hours of reflection on the last day of the year. i think we'll make this a family tradition. :) last year, there were a few too many questions, so i trimmed it down a bit and made it simpler. 

one

1. what went well in 2014? 

2. what did not go well in 2014? (thanks chris guillebeau for these two)

3. top 5 most significant events this year.

4. hardest thing to let go of.

5. what are you proud of? 

6. i felt most connected to God when...

7. i felt most alive when...

8. i felt most sucked out of life when...

9. one word to describe 2014

10. in 2014, I'm grateful for:

two

1. what are my intentions for 2015? 

2. what are my desires? 

3. what do I want to LOVE? 

4. what's one word to describe 2015?

three

write a letter to yourself for what you hope for in 2015. 

four

fold the paper up into an envelope, write your name on it and tuck it away to open at the end of 2015!

i hope your 2014 was well-lived: full of learning, growth, compassion, depth, hope, love & joy!

happy new year to you! 

2013 year end reflection questions

on dec 31, my husband and i went to philz coffee to get one last cup (for me) and to spend a couple hours reflecting on the past year. we spent about two hours running through the following exercises that i pulled together, inspired by some online resources that i can't remember anymore. oops. hope this is helpful to you, as it was to us. 

one

take a minute to deeply breathe in & out

pray and ask God to be a part of your day

two

take 10 minutes to write down all the things you’re grateful for

*note: this time felt short! i would spend ~15 minutes next time

three

take 45 minutes to answer any or all of the questions below:

• what are you proud of? 
• what do you wish you did better on? 
• what did you release? what still feels incomplete? 
• what were your top 5 most significant events this year?
• what were some fun things you did this year? 
• what brought you joy? 
• how am i different this year than last? 
• if you had to pick one word to describe 2013, what would it be? 
• how did your body change this year? 
• what did you learn about your body? 
• what was the hardest thing to let go of? 
• when did you feel most connected to God? 
• what lessons did you learn? 
• are there people you wish you invested more time in? why? 
• i felt most alive when…
• i felt most sucked-out-of-life when…

four

take 10 minutes to list all the things you’d like to let go of. 

say “thank you” to each thing on your list & then say “bon voyage” to each item.

five

take a few minutes to breathe in & out. sit up straight, close your eyes, and focus on each breath. this is a time to transition 

six

take 15-20 minutes to reflect on the upcoming year:

• name your intentions for the next year
• what do you desire for this upcoming year? (anything goes! be specific!) (emotionally, mentally, physically, sexually, relationally, spiritually, in your relationship(s)….)
• what word comes to mind when you think of 2014? 

seven

take 20 minutes to write yourself a letter that you’ll open december 31st, 2014. 

tell yourself what you hope for. 

*note: it would've been interesting to instead, write a letter to the other person.

eight

look at each other, and hold a gaze for one minute. express all the gratitude and love you possibly can, and express it through your eyes. no words. then end with an embrace.

*note: i set a timer for the minute, and this felt entirely too short! i would recommend 3 minutes. 

the end.