You can deliver a difficult project, help your team through a messy change and still look back on 2026 thinking about the promotion you didn’t get. One unfinished goal can take up so much space that you forget how much the rest of the year asked of you.
I see this often in my coaching work with capable professionals and leaders. They can explain exactly where they fell short, yet need a moment to remember a decision they handled well or a situation they would have handled differently a year ago. To end the year well, give those moments a place in your review. They can tell you what you’re ready to build on and what you want to do differently in 2027.
10 year-end reflection questions
Set aside 20 minutes. Open your calendar, photos or notes if the year feels like a blur. Write a sentence or two for each question, then spend a little longer on the one that brings up a specific memory.
- What went well that I barely acknowledged? Look for a result you moved past quickly because something else needed your attention.
- Where did I handle a situation differently from a year ago? Think of a decision you made with more confidence, a difficult conversation you started earlier or a boundary you held.
- What did I do that made a difference for someone else? Recall feedback you received or a moment when your support helped someone take their own next step.
- What was hard this year, and how did I respond? Give yourself credit for what it took to get through it. Notice where asking for help made a difference.
- Which commitments gave me energy, and which drained it? Look at how you spent an ordinary week. What would you protect or make less room for?
- What did I keep putting off, and what made it hard to begin? Think about what happened when you meant to act. Were you waiting for more certainty, worried about someone’s response or already carrying too much?
- Which unfinished goal still matters to me? Ask what you would choose today if you were making the decision afresh.
- Where did I say yes out of obligation or a need to prove myself? Name one situation and consider what you wanted to say at the time.
- Whose support helped me this year? Think of someone who challenged you, backed you or gave you room to recover. Tell them what their support meant if you can.
- What do I want to carry into 2027, and what am I ready to put down? Choose one thing for each. Write down how that choice would show up in an ordinary week.
Make a Greatness Scorecard
This is an exercise I use to help people give themselves credit for the progress they tend to overlook. Choose three moments from your answers. For each one, finish these sentences.
- What happened. One moment I want to remember is …
- What I did. The choice or action I took was …
- What it shows me. I can draw on this again when …
You might write, “I told my team we couldn’t take on another project without moving a deadline. I felt uncomfortable saying it, and the conversation gave us room to agree on what mattered most. I can raise a capacity concern earlier next time.” A moment like that can easily disappear from a review that only counts promotions, revenue or completed projects.
Read your three entries back and pick the win you were quickest to dismiss. Then take a moment to celebrate it. Write yourself a short note about what you’re proud of, share the win with someone who saw what it took, or thank someone who helped you along the way. If you held a boundary that would have felt impossible a year ago, give yourself credit for the courage that took. When a similar moment comes up in January, you’ll have a specific example of how you handled it before.
Once you’ve finished your Greatness Scorecard, use this guide to set a New Year goal that matters to you and plan your first week.
Choose one thing to do differently in January
Look back at the unfinished goal you still care about. Ask what it would take to make room for it in a real week. If you want to contribute more strategically at work but keep getting pulled into work your team can handle, your first step might be to delegate one recurring decision and agree on when you’ll check in.
Write down the action, put it on your calendar and decide when you’ll review what happened. If you’re still deciding where you want to grow, start with these examples of meaningful life goals. If your priority is work, use my guide to setting career goals you can keep to turn your reflection into a plan.
If the same goal keeps coming back and you’re unsure what’s getting in the way, we can explore it together. In a private, 90-minute coaching conversation, we’ll look at where you are, what you want to change and what may be making it difficult to move forward. Request a Complimentary Session.
