Posted December 12th, 2018
By Kris Powers
It’s that time of year! As you go about setting goals for the upcoming year; it’s important to take time to reflect on the past year (or more) and take stock of where you are and where you want to be. This step of self-reflection can bring a sense of awareness that you may never have experienced before. Understanding more about yourself, your goals, and the “why” behind them will help motivate you to reach them. To help you get to the nut of “why”, we’ve come up with 30 questions to help you get clarity. Ask yourself the following:
- How would I accurately describe myself to others? Is this who I want to be? Is there room for change or improvement?
- How happy am I with my life overall, right this very second?
- What is really important to me?
- What would my perfect day look like?
- What do I enjoy doing (regardless of whether I’m good at it or not)?
- If I didn’t need money, what would I do with my life?
- What achievements am I most proud of?
- What are the biggest things I’ve learned in my life so far?
- What am I truly grateful for?
- Who are the most important people in my life? Am I spending enough quality time with them? Are my relationships healthy and where I’d like them to be?
- Do I truly like myself at this very moment? Why or why not? What can I do to start liking myself more today?
- What is my self-care routine? This includes not only the way I treat myself but how I speak to myself.
- What (and/or who) energizes me in my life?
- What (and/or who) exhausts me in my life?
- Am I living the life of my dreams?
- How can I make my life more meaningful?
- Is there something in my life that I’m holding onto, that I should let go of?
- Is there something holding me back from reaching my life goals? What are ways that I can work around those obstacles?
- What relaxes me?
- What stresses me out?
- What is my ideal career? How can I start working toward my ideal career today?
- What were my goals for 2018 and did I reach them? What prevented me? What helped me?
- What is one of my best attributes?
- What is a habit or attribute about myself that I’d like to change?
- What would I do today if there was no tomorrow?
- What is my biggest regret to date? What could I do to forgive myself or fix the issue(s) that surround that regret?
- What advice would I have given myself 5 years ago?
- Thinking of the future, what would I wish for myself five years from today?
- What does “success” mean to me, personally? (Don’t limit this to workplace success; explore the definition as it pertains to all areas of your life).
- What are my goals and dreams for 2019? These may surround relationships, career, self-growth, health, and even more. List them all!
The objective of the above exercise is to reflect on your responses to the above questions and brainstorm ways to bring more of the positive things into your life, while eliminating the negative (what do I want more of? What do I want less of?). This may mean severing toxic relationships, finding a new job, setting aside time to develop a skill you are passionate about and much more.
Ed4Career offers courses in personal enrichment, professional development and career training. Contact one of our educational consultants to discuss how Ed4Career can help you reach your goals today!
