I’m really pleased that I’ve just concluded Season 5 of my podcast and I am taking a break this month. December is my time to kick back, chill and rejuvenate myself for the upcoming year.

This year has been eventful on so many fronts but mainly I’ve had a grand time recording, editing and producing episodes. I’ve been talking to quite a number of women in business and interviewing them and sometimes chasing after podcast guests. I’ve had one guest that I didn’t feature because she didn’t meet my deadline (come on, I do my part and you do yours and you can’t even do that? Sorry but I can’t pander to your whims).

This weekend, Nic and I are headed to Gopeng for a short weekend with friends. I consider it a fun time with friends (his, not mine) but a trek in Nature is always welcome. And then my sister and dad will be driving up to Penang for a few days and so the next two weeks of December are basically lots of feasting, not much work or business and certainly licence to laze and graze.

I like taking this month to engage in some mindful reflection and that’s been my habit for many years now.

If I think about it, this discipline has stood me well as I keep benchmarking myself yearly and I am sometimes amazed at how much I have progressed in my Thinking.

I encourage you to do so because these days, time does fly so fast. If we blink a bit more, we’d be in 2023. To me, a life unexamined is a life not worth living. Besides my gratitude journal that I attempt to fill daily with 3 things I am grateful for, I look out for other ways to empower me to get better as a human being.

It’s no surprise that I enjoy collecting thoughtful questions that prompt deep thinking. I collect questions to ask my podcast guests, varying questions and figuring out which questions are gems. Yes, I have a Google Doc titled “Great Questions To Ask Myself”. Each time I come by a great question, I file it away like a hamster stuffing pellets in its mouth.

You must be curious now.

I hope you are because I want to share these questions with you.

But before that, I found a website that is equally satisfying (to me at least) where I get to answer questions in a self-coaching method. The best part is that you can be reminded of your answers 3 months, 6 months, 9 months or even 12 months from today.

Reading my past answers shines a light on the way the previous me was processing information or understanding the world. And I get to answer the same questions again and compare my answers.

It’s really about seeing growth in myself over the past few months.

And I feel that I have grown so much in the past year. I’ve been disappointed, felt betrayed and yes even bitter about some incidents and people. I’m no saint. I’ve culled some friends from my life and I’m still removing people from my Contacts list. I’ve decided that there are some people that I would rather not be in contact with because of their selfishness and self-centeredness. I’ve also forgiven them and moved on and praying that they would get the hint and stay away.

You’d be surprised how much your thinking changes or how some principles don’t. I am thankful some parts of me have remained incredibly consistent but I am also surprised to know that some parts of me have re-defined ideas about life. If you’re a ruminative sort, you’d love this website.

My annual review questions help me take stock of my life.

I usually answer them in a Google Doc so that next year I can pull up the document and re-read it. I have a few years’ worth of Annual Reviews like these. If a company can have annual reviews and strategic planning, you too need to be more conscious of yourself.

I can’t recall who wrote these questions but these are amazing questions to keep asking myself. I’ve modified and combined them, remixed them if you will for my own use. Feel free to use them for your own journalling and reflection. It takes time to answer them all so spread them out over a few days. And if you have a couple of good questions of your own, please let me know too!

I hope you have a wonderful time resetting yourself and getting plenty of fun and rest before 2023 begins.

It’s quite interesting to engage in inner work. It’s the hardest to do but intensely satisfying when I get to the place called Truth.

Truth is painful but it’s there that I start to reset myself. Sometimes I blanket out what’s staring me in the face – denial is more fun – but denial doesn’t help me get better.

• What have I accomplished in the last 12 months?
• What was I most proud of? Why?
• What was I most disappointed about? Why?
• What 20% of my efforts give me 80% of my results?
• What lessons have I learned in the last 12 months about myself and others?
• Did any of the projects or priorities this year lead to improved relationships, partnerships or opportunities?  If yes, how can I do more? If not, why?
• Was I smart about using my resources this year? If not, what happened? 
• Who made a positive difference in my life recently? (Time to reconnect with these folks!)
• Who should I be talking to, if I want to grow myself next year?
• Who knows the person(s) that I want to know? 
• Who can I connect with that has accomplished what I want to accomplish?
• What relationships or partnerships am I looking to start or develop? Why?
• What relationships or partnerships do I need to let go of? Why?
• Apart from growth and money, what do I really want out of life?
• What important issues should I be focusing on that will move the needle?
• What’s happening around me that I may want to guard against?
• What’s happening around me that I could take advantage of?
• What simple pleasures, hobbies or pastimes have I forgotten but need to get back into?For next year, what should I do more?
• What should I do less of?
• What should I stop doing completely?
• What does my 5-year body of work look like?
• If I am looking at the next 5 years, what priorities make sense for the year ahead?
• What decision/habit/action would Future Me thank me for?

By the way, a good friend and I are thinking of creating a workshop just for women called The Magic of Thinking Big in March next year.

It’s still in the discussion phase – a cosy group of women, maybe max 20 people – because I think it’s time women shared their secrets and started helping each other overcome some mental barriers. If you want to be notified of this event, email me using the contact form on this blog with the subject line “March”. Let’s see where this takes us.

Until then, have a good holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!