Looking back, forward as a new year begins

I’m grateful for these women in my life—pictured are some of the members of our Women Who Run with the Wolves bookclub at our end-of-the-year gathering.

Now that I’ve been doing this regular writing gig for over a year, it’s fun to look back and see what I was writing about a year ago at this time. I looked back at my first column of 2010, and it was titled ‘Create the life you want this year,’ which is just what’s on my mind again. Some things never change.


Since the calendar page has just flipped over to another fresh, new year, I wanted to share a New Year’s Questionnaire with you. I didn’t write this, but I wish I had!

Filling these out and looking back on them from year to year will become an annual tradition for me. I find it useful to put down on paper how I want to live more authentically. I hope it’s meaningful for you, too. (The full version of this questionnaire is posted on my blog.)

Completing and Remembering the Past Year:

What was your biggest triumph this year? What was the greatest lesson you learned? What are you most happy about completing? Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life? What was the biggest risk you took? What compliment would you liked to have received? What compliment would you most liked to have given? What else do you need to do or say to be complete with 2010?

Creating 2011: What would you like to be your biggest triumph? What advice would you like to give yourself? What would you most like to change about yourself? What are you looking forward to learning? What about your work are you most committed to changing and improving? What is one undeveloped talent you are willing to explore? What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do/have more of that?

Full Version
Completing and Remembering the Past Year:


What was your biggest triumph this year?

What was the smartest decision you made this year?

What one word sums up and best describes your 2010 experience?

What was the greatest lesson you learned in 2010?

What was the most loving service you performed in 2010?

What is your biggest piece of unfinished business in 2010?

What are you most happy about completing in 2010?

Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life in 2010?

What was the biggest risk you took in 2010?

What was the biggest surprise in 2010?

What important relationship improved the most in 2010?
What compliment would you liked to have received in 2010?
What compliment would you most liked to have given in 2010?
What else do you need to do or say to be complete with 2010?


Creating 2011:

What would you like to be your biggest triumph in 2011?

What advice would you like to give yourself in 2011?

What is the major effort you are planning to improve your financial results in

2011?

What would you be most happy about completing in 2011?

What major indulgence are you willing to experience in 2011?

What would you most like to change about yourself in 2011?

What are you looking forward to learning in 2011?

What do you think your biggest risk will be in 2011?
What about your work are you most committed to changing and improving in 2011?

What is one undeveloped talent you are willing to explore in 2011?

What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that in

2011?

Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving

in 2011?