Year End Reflection Prompts

As we approach the end of 2015, I’m once again amazed at how quickly this year has passed by. This is exactly the reason why it is important to take time to pause and reflect on the highlights of the year.  

​I wrote a list of prompts to help in this process and wanted to share it with you. While it can take a bit of time to reflect, I made this list short and to the point so you can fit it in your busy schedule and end up not skipping this important exercise! You will find that you can apply these prompts to your personal life as well as your work life. 

Year-End Reflection Prompts:

1. What accomplishment(s) did you feel most proud of?
2. What were your favorite memories this past year?
3. Did you learn any new skills?
4. What worked well in 2015?
5. Did you overcome any obstacles?

Here is how I answered these prompts for my creative business:

1. What accomplishment(s) did you feel most proud of?                                         ​I created 6 exciting, new designs which I published on hundreds of products (from apparel to home decor to paper goods) in my zazzle shop. The feedback on these designs has been very positive.   I have also continued working on my stained glass mosaic artwork and was approached by a retail boutique who will start carrying my mosaic bird feeders in 2016. So excited for this new opportunity!
2. What were your favorite memories of 2015?                                                          One of my favorite memories for my creative business was receiving a repeat order of my Honey Bee design from a customer who has been using it for the past couple years to illustrate a “kindness campaign” at her local school.  You can find my original blog post about this here. I feel so honored that my illustrations are being used to promote kindness in this world!
3. Did you learn any new skills?                                                                           Yes! I continued learning about creating stained glass mosaics on a variety of substrates including glass. I started working with Copic markers in my illustrations and found I absolutely LOVE them!  I redesigned my website and learned how to make it more friendly to visitors.
4. What worked well in 2015?                                                                                My health was much better in 2015 than the year prior which allowed me to spend more time being creative which in turn helped my health again!  Such a positive circle of cause and effect!  I have worked hard to get stronger and plan on continuing this effort in 2016: taking time for walks and doing my physical therapy exercises daily.  Please join me!
5. Did you overcome any obstacles?                                                                   My biggest obstacle is making excuses that I’m too busy to fit in creative time and managing my commitments.  I have made some progress this past year, learning when to say no to volunteer opportunities or other claims on my time but I still have more learning to do in this area! Looking back over the past year, I have been able to spend more time on my creative business. It is a trend I’m planning on continuing because it adds so much joy and happiness to my life!

As we close out the year and start a new one, I encourage you to find some time to look back and celebrate the highlights of 2015.  I hope you find my list of prompts helpful.  If you do,  I would love it if you leave me a comment. I wish you a very Happy New Year!  Thank you for your continued support!