Every December, I block out time on my calendar for the most important meeting of the year. No clients, no team members, no agenda items that someone else set. Just me, a notebook, and a few hours to think clearly about where I've been and where I'm going.
I didn't always do this. For years, I'd roll from one year into the next without really pausing. Sure, I'd set some vague goals, maybe jot down a few intentions…and then get swept back into the current of daily demands. By February, I couldn't remember what I'd even wanted to accomplish.
And I eventually realized that approach doesn't work when you’re serious about building something that matters.
The Purpose of Meeting With Yourself
If you take one look at my life, you’d probably come to the conclusion that I’m always moving. Running multiple businesses, raising five kids, and training for endurance events definitely gives that impression.
But momentum without direction is just motion. You can stay busy all year and still end up nowhere meaningful. I’ve wasted more time and effort than I want to admit! And that’s where this meeting comes in.
The year-end meeting with myself isn't about beating myself up over what didn't happen. It's about getting honest with where I actually spent my energy versus where I thought I was spending it. The gap between those two things reveals everything.
Where did my time go? Which meetings filled my days? Which projects got my best thinking? The data doesn't lie, and it often surprises me.
The Questions I Ask for Self-Reflection
I keep this process simple because complexity kills follow-through. I focus on five questions:
#1 – What worked this year that I should do more of?
Maybe it was a business strategy that generated unexpected results. Maybe it was a training approach that kept me healthy instead of injured. I'm looking for patterns worth repeating.
#2 – What drained energy without producing value?
This one's harder to face. We all have commitments that made sense at one point but have outlived their usefulness. Letting go of what no longer serves you creates the space and clarity you need for the new things that will move the needle.
#3 – Where did I compromise on what I said was important?
If family is a priority, but I missed most dinners, that's information. If health matters, but I had pitiful sleeping habits because I was overworking, that's worth examining. Integrity means your actions match your stated values, even when you’re the only one affected. Even when you’re the only one who ever knows.
#4 – What scared me that I avoided?
Growth lives on the other side of discomfort. The conversations I didn't have, the risks I didn't take, the challenges I sidestepped—those are breadcrumbs pointing toward my next level.
#5 – What do I want to be different twelve months from now?
Not what should be different or what others expect to be different. What do I actually want? This distinction matters because you can't sustain effort toward someone else's definition of success.
From Reflection to Action
The meeting isn't complete until I translate insights into decisions. I pick three priorities for the coming year. Just three things that, if I accomplish them, would make the year meaningful regardless of what else happens.
Then I work backward. What has to happen in Q1 to make those priorities possible? What support do I need? What needs to stop? I put specific milestones on the calendar before the year starts.
The Real Benefit of Your Personal Annual Audit
This annual meeting has changed how I operate. It's made me more intentional about saying no to opportunities that don't align with where I'm headed. It's helped me spot patterns earlier—both positive ones worth amplifying and negative ones worth addressing.
Most importantly, it's given me ownership over my own trajectory. Nobody else is going to protect my time, clarify my priorities, or keep me accountable to what I said mattered.
That's my job.
And for you, it’s yours.
Before this year ends, I encourage you to carve out that time. Sit with yourself honestly. Review what happened, decide what's next, and commit to aligning your daily actions with your true priorities.
The momentum you create in that meeting will carry you further than any resolution you make on January 1st.
Which of these five questions hits hardest for you right now? Drop a comment and let me know what you're wrestling with as this year winds down.