7 Questions to Ask Yourself at New Year's

It's time to say goodbye.

Not for this blog, because I expect to write 52 articles for you in 2025, just as I have done in 2024, but it is time to say goodbye to the old year. It can be sad to say goodbye to something, even a year with all its experiences and ups and downs, but it can also be liberating. It's like throwing a heavy backpack off your shoulders – an opportunity to start fresh when we turn the calendar page and write 2025.

Maybe you're in a place where you just need to keep doing what you're doing. Maybe you're in a place where it's time to choose a new direction in life. We have different needs, but for all of us, it is valuable to use the New Year to stop and reflect on the year that has passed and the year that is to come.

The value of reflection and gratitude

Before you put the champagne in the fridge and start preparing the New Year's menu, it's a good idea to take a quiet moment and leave room for reflection and evaluation. You can use this moment to look back on the year that passed. What did you learn from the things that happened? What can you be thankful for that happened to you in 2024?

Often we are so busy that we do not leave room for this reflection. There are duties and chores, information and communication we have to deal with, but the days around New Year are suitable for reflection. If you create a space where you reflect and give gratitude, things often fall into place. You will learn more about the year that has passed, and when you do, it is also easier to set your benchmarks for the new year. Pointers that are both meaningful and realistic for you.

7 Questions to Reflect on That are Good at New Year's

To help your reflection on the way, here are 7 questions you can ask yourself at New Year's. Consider them in a quiet moment and use your answers to set your direction for 2025.

1) What has been your biggest source of joy in 2024?

What made you happy in 2024 and what did you particularly enjoy? When you identify the moments, people, or actions that brought you joy and energy in the past year, you can also use this to prioritize them higher in the new year.

2) What challenge in 2024 taught you something important?

None of us go through an entire year without encountering something difficult. But when we look back on the challenges, our reflections can give us insights that we can grow from. In 2024, I myself had the challenge of experiencing health problems that were not just on a par with a flu for the first time in many years. It hasn't been fun, but I learned from it that I can't do everything alone – something I've otherwise tended to do in my life as a writer and self-employed. This is an important insight from the challenge that I will take with me into 2025.

3) Which decision you made in 2024 are you most proud of?

When did you act in accordance with your values, even though it was difficult? Did you do something that was both brave and unconventional? What did it give you? What will your 2025 be like if you make more decisions that make you proud and where there is a connection between your choices and your values?

4) What have you learned about your strengths in 2024?

Think about what you did well in 2024. You can write down your successes or make a list of your 5 or 10 strongest skills. Use your strengths as your foundation. When you are aware of them and dare to formulate them for yourself, you will also have a firmer ground under your feet in the new year.

5) Who were the most important people in your life in 2024?

Without meaningful relationships and valuable communities, life becomes more uphill. Therefore, consider which people mattered to you in 2024 and how you can maintain and strengthen your relationship with them in the new year. Take the time at New Year's to send them a greeting expressing gratitude for the role they play in your life.

6) What habits have been good for you in 2024?

How well we feel often depends on the habits and routines we have in everyday life. The challenge, however, is that habits happen so automatically that we don't think about them. Therefore, try to stop and think about what good habits you had in 2024. How can you continue to build on them in 2025?

7) What from 2024 would you like to let go of?

Just as there are good things from 2024 that you can strengthen and expand on in 2025, there are undoubtedly bad things that you can advantageously leave behind in the old year. This can be bad habits, unpleasant experiences, or relationships that are toxic and unhealthy for you. Can you crumple them up and throw them in the trash for the old year?

Find your benchmarks

Once you have answered the 7 reflection questions, you will not only have learned more about the old year, but you can also use your answers as guidelines for 2025. What should you focus on and what should you do more of? Is there anything you should leave behind?

A good way to get started is to pick out a single benchmark or two and then focus only on that at the beginning of the new year. This makes it more manageable, and then you can always add more benchmarks at a later date. It's not about setting performance-oriented goals, but about moving step by step closer to a life that is meaningful and in line with your values. If you do, you can have a fantastic 2025.