Before we rush into goals, vision boards and “next year energy”, I always pause.

Not to judge the year.
Not to optimise it.
But to understand it.

Every December, I come back to the same set of reflection prompts. They help me close the year intentionally: noticing what shifted, what stretched me, what I’m ready to release, and what I want to carry forward.

This practice isn’t about perfection or productivity. It’s about clarity.

And it’s the exact reflection I recommend doing before creating a vision board - especially as part of the Ladina Yoga  Reset & Recharge challenge.

Because vision without reflection often turns into pressure.
Reflection turns vision into alignment.

How to use these prompts

• Set aside 30–45 minutes.
• Grab a notebook, notes app, or a blank document.
• Light a candle, make a cup of tea, slow your breathing.

You don’t need to answer everything perfectly.
Write honestly. Write messily. Write what surprises you.

These prompts are not about finding the “right” answer, they’re about hearing yourself clearly.

The 15 end-of-year prompts

1. Three things I discovered about myself this year
2. What am I most proud of this year?
3. My biggest challenges this year
4. What did I not do because of fear?
5. What did I change my mind about this year?
6. What held me back from my potential?
7. Three lessons I learned this year
8. Things that made me feel grateful this year
9. What did I actually accomplish this year?
10. What do I like or dislike about my life right now?
11. What makes me happy — or unhappy — in my life right now?
12. What can I do to experience more of what makes me happy, and change what makes me unhappy?
13. What can I let go of or compromise on without neglecting my happiness?
14. What will I do today, tomorrow, in a week, and in the coming months to move out of the grind and into the life I want?
15. What would make next year a great year — for me?

Take your time. Some answers will come easily. Others may resist. That resistance is usually where the insight lives.

Why this comes before the vision board

Vision boards are powerful, but only when they’re rooted in truth.

If you skip reflection, it’s easy to:

• Carry goals that no longer fit
• Repeat patterns you’re actually done with
• Design a future that looks good but feels wrong

These prompts help you:

• Identify what you’re ready to release
• Clarify what actually matters to you now
• Create a vision that feels supportive, not demanding

This is why this reflection is a pre-work activity for the Reset & Recharge challenge and the vision board workshop.

We don’t rush forward here.
We reset first.

A gentle reminder

You don’t need to have everything figured out by the end of this exercise.

Clarity often arrives quietly: a sentence that lingers, a feeling that won’t leave, a truth you can no longer ignore.

That’s enough.

And it’s a powerful place to begin the new year from.

If you’re signing up to the (self-paced) Reset & Recharge challenge, I invite you to complete this reflection before the vision board workshop. It will change how you see what you’re calling in.

Slow down. Listen in. Then move forward- on purpose.