We ask ourselves questions almost every moment of the day. Every decision we make is an answer to a question. Every goal we set is fueled by questions.
I love this quote by James Stephens:
We get wise by asking questions, and even if these are not answered, we get wise, for a well-packed question carries its answer on its back as a snail carries its shell.
The right questions move us closer to our goals while the wrong questions distract us.
These are ten questions I ask myself at the beginning of the year to make sure I’m intentional about my direction for the upcoming year.
They’ve really helped me and my business so I wanted to share them with you. Set aside an hour to go through them and really figure out what you want to accomplish this year.
- What were my biggest wins this year? What am I the most proud of?
- Why were these successful? What did I do that worked that I can replicate or improve even more on?
- What mistakes did I make and what can I learn from them?
- What do I need to stop doing next year? We make a list of a million things we should be doing but there’s often just as much to be gained from quitting things that are holding us back.
- What will it take to make next year a success? In other words, write down what it will take for you to look back this same time next year and be happy with what you’ve accomplished.
- What projects (one-time things) and processes (ongoing things) need to be put into place to make these goals happen?
- What mindset shifts do I need to change to make these goals happen? What do I need to approach or think about differently? What’s holding me back?
- What new skills did I learn this year? What do I need to learn next year to stay or get ahead?
- Who am I grateful for? Who did I meet this year or spend time with that really helped me out? How can I spend more time with them and help them? Who do I need in my life next year?
- Why am I doing what I’m doing? What are the reason(s) I’m doing what I’m doing that get me excited and push me (even when I don’t feel like it) forward?
Remember you don’t have to start from scratch. You can learn a lot from what you did last year.
Continue to build off what worked and change what doesn’t. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that!
