Reflection Questions – The Most Important Questions You’ll Answer This Year

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”
– Peter F. Drucker

Sun Thinking Alone Reflection Peronsal

Towards December each year I like to think back over the last past twelve months, and plan for the year ahead by asking myself a number of reflective questions. In the interest of being thorough my list of reflective questions gets longer each year, since we’ve always heard that more is better: more money, more time, more “stuff.”

Except that sometimes it isn’t.  Sometimes, more is just distracting.  Since reading Leo Babauta’s Simple Guide To a Minimalist List, I’ve been cutting many non-essentials out of my life, and decided to apply the same approach to my self reflection – focusing on only the questions that matter the most.

Here now in the same spirit as my intentionally short list of the best personal development books, I present to you – the most important (reflective) questions you’ll answer this year.

The Most Important Reflective Questions You’ll Answer This Year

  • What  am I thankful for this year?
  • How far have I come – and where am I going?
  • What matters most to me?
  • Who is important to me – and who am I important to?
  • What unique experiences set this year apart from all that preceded it?
  • Where did I excel – and where do I need to improve?

And finally, the question that helps me look forward to the future:

  • What do I want the answers to these questions to be next year – and how will I get there?

No pressure – the answers matter only to you.  Enjoy the holidays, leave a comment with your own thoughts – or questions! – and I will see you next year.

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Please review the Comment Policy.
  • Sid, as usual this is a really inspiring and insightful thought. Thanks for sharing this—you're very timely during the holidays, when you speak about all the "stuff" we tend to collect—I try to do a yearly review, and these questions are good ones to ask myself as I plan directions for 2010.

    "What do I want the answers to these questions to be next year – and how will I get there?" That's the most important one! I wish you all the best this year and look forward to learning & sharing a lot more with ya.
  • Hey Cody,

    Thanks man! It's been great getting to know you over this past year as well.
    I can't believe how time has flown - thinking back on how I barely knew you
    just a short while ago, and now I'm a regular subscriber and I seem to see
    you popping up everywhere.

    I'm big on reviews - weekly, yearly. I can get carried away sometimes, but
    like you I think it's important to see where we've come, where we're going -
    and how we plan to get there =)
  • These are powerful questions Sid and timely for me. It has been a very turbulent year for me. What was perceived as a successful year for my blog and public presence was in fact just the top of the iceberg. I've been through a very long process of personal change. Most of it was unpleasant, but rather necessary.

    I start this year lighter and more at peace with me and with the world.

    Wishing the same to you :-)
  • Hi Dragos,

    I wish you the best in this coming year as well - it's been a long road
    watching your blog, and I'm sure things will continue to get better - tip of
    the iceberg or not =)

    Thanks so much for your friendship, and support - both on my blog and in
    personal emails. I definitely appreciate the time we have spent getting to
    know each other, and I hope things continue to go well for both of us =)
  • mrjWells
    Hey Sid, I think reflection of the type is absolutely vital if we want to make continual progress. If we don't stop and pinpoint where we are and how we feel about it, it's pretty hard to make sound decisions about what comes next.
  • Hi mrjWells,

    Thanks for your comment! Talking about reflection as being important to
    progress - One of my favorite Steve Pavlina quotes is you can't get from
    point A to point B unless you first acknowledge you are at point A ;)
  • Nice set of questions, Sid. I appreciate the meaningful content in a quick to read form. This is the time of year that I'd like to do this kind of work, yet with kids home from school and travels ahead, it's hard to find time - so I like your brevity!
  • Hi NuNomad,

    Thanks! I can't relate to the kids home from school, and am jealous of the
    travels ahead - but I am glad you enjoyed the questions ;)
  • Great questions! Thank you!
  • Hi Marilyn,

    Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed them =)
  • Hey Sid.

    What am I thankful for this year? Some things I would mention are obtaining higher self-discipline, having certain motivational factors, and the health that I have.

    How far have I come – and where am I going? To some, I have come a small distance, and to some, I have come a far distance. To me, I have traveled well, and am headed toward my desired state. Hard work is like the fuel to there.

    What matters most to me? Health, focus, and certain individuals. Also, the short-term items I assign meaning to matter a lot. Meaning is the key to me.


    Who is important to me – and who am I important to? People that are important to me, aside from family, include some role models that represent skill or good behavior in some aspect. I slowly let all these folks know over time. I like to support positive aspects. As far as who I am important to, I have an idea of who some of them would be, and there may be others I will know of later.

    What unique experiences set this year apart from all that preceded it? I crushed a few societal walls, was able to view a few new ones thanks to this, and have been glad about the process. I take to the public more and more, and this is a healthy way to go.

    Where did I excel – and where do I need to improve? I excelled in some aspects of self-discipline, communication, and understanding. I must improve more in my unfiltered output aspect, and also in mixing in more long-term procedures in with short-term procedures.

    What do I want the answers to these questions to be next year – and how will I get there? I would like them to be quite similar, but more expanded. I would say more about what I want to see, but I am already working on it, and a year is a very long distance when you value your time.

    Cool set of questions here, and they helped me think a bit.

    On to 2010 with Sid Savara~
  • Hey Armen,

    Great responses! I hope you got a lot out of it. I sometimes write the
    questions on random pages in my notepad - and when I flip to the page, no
    matter where I am, I internally answer the question. Really helpful for me -
    I also put the questions on my cell phone background, as a constant
    reminder.

    Self-discipline is high on my list as well - both for things I am excelling
    at, and for something I constantly feel like I need to improve.

    Thanks for being such a strong supporter and for always providing insightful
    additions to the discussion. I really appreciate the effort you take to
    write comments here that matter!
  • Sid,

    Thanks for sharing these questions. Answering these questions is very much about awareness that many of us don't really develop. I'm glad that we have connected in 2009 and look forward to seeing what's coming in 2010.
  • Hey Srinivas,

    It's been great to connect with you as well - I've been following the
    podcast series on your blog, you're on fire. I actually am playing catch
    up! Great work with the interview series though, I think it's really
    something