The end of the year is a terrific time to evaluate what goals we've reached, what barrier's we've overcome and what we want to leave behind as we embark on a new year. To augment that reflection, this post is full of exercises and ideas designed to help you think about your talents, qualities, values, and perceptions.
Use your answers to inform your decisions about what goals you choose to strive toward, what you would like to do in the future, and what moves to make next.
When you complete this, you will have plenty of insight into who you really are and what is most important to you.
The point of this exercise is to help you know and understand:
• Your beliefs and principles;
• What you value and what is important to you;
• What motivates you;
• Your own emotions;
• Your thinking patterns;
• Your tendencies to react to certain situations;
• What you want out of life.
There are several sections, each of which has its own set of questions and prompts:
– Talents
• What are your greatest talents or skills?
• Which of your talents or skills gives you the greatest sense of pride or satisfaction?
– Traits/Qualities
• What are your five greatest strengths?
• What do you feel are your two biggest weaknesses?
• What qualities or traits do you most admire in others?
– Values
• What are ten things that are really important to you?
• What are the three most important things to you?
• What are the values that you hold nearest to your heart?
– Perception
• How is the “public you” different from the “private you”?
• What do you want people to think and say about you?
• Is it more important to be liked by others or to be yourself? Why?
– Accomplishments
• What three things are you most proud of in your life to date?
• What do you hope to achieve in life?
• If you could accomplish only one thing before you died, what would it be?
– Reflection
• What is something that represents you (e.g., song, animal, flower, poem, symbol, jewelry, etc.)? Why?
• What three things would you like to change most about yourself?
• List three things that you are.
– Finish the Sentence
Several prompts to complete:
• I do my best when . . .
• I struggle when . . .
• I am comfortable when . . .
• I feel stress when . . .
• I am courageous when . . .
• One of the most important things I learned was . . .
• I missed a great opportunity when . . .
• One of my favorite memories is . . .
• My toughest decisions involve . . .
• Being myself is hard because . . .
• I can be myself when . . .
• I wish I were more . . .
• I wish I could . . .
• I wish I would regularly . . .
• I wish I had . . .
• I wish I knew . . .
• I wish I felt . . .
• I wish I saw . . .
• I wish I thought . . .
• Life should be about . . .
• I am going to make my life about . . .