A Year-in-Review for Meaningful Goals + Intentions
The intention wheel is a super valuable tool. As we wrap up the year, let’s reflect on it.
As the year comes to a close, it’s tempting to rush straight into goal-setting. New plans, new promises, new pressure. But the truth is—the quality of our future goals depends on the honesty of our reflection. Before we decide where we’re going, we must understand how we truly lived.
This year-in-review isn’t about productivity for productivity’s sake. It’s about impact—the kind that changes us, shapes others, and quietly rewrites the direction of our lives. When we reflect across the core areas of our lives, we gain clarity not only about what we accomplished, but about who we are becoming.
Here are eight impact-centered lenses to review your year and shape your goals with purpose.
1. Health: The Foundation of All Impact
Our energy determines our influence. Our bodies carry every goal we chase.
Ask yourself:
When did I feel most alive and energized this year?
Which habits strengthened me—and which depleted me?
What signals from my body did I honor? Which did I override?
What would it look like to treat my health as a long-term investment, not a short-term expense?
Impact insight: Sustainable goals require sustainable bodies.
2. Business & Work: Where Service Meets Skill
Work is one of our greatest platforms for influence—whether visible or quiet.
Reflect on:
Where did my work truly matter this year?
When was I operating at my highest level of leadership?
What systems or responsibilities no longer serve the future I’m building?
What skill did I sharpen that will compound over time?
Impact insight: Real success isn’t measured by output alone—but by alignment.
3. Money: A Mirror of Values
Money isn’t just a financial tool—it’s a values document.
Consider:
What did my spending reveal about what I prioritize?
Where did I feel empowered with money? Where did I feel constrained?
What financial decision am I most proud of this year?
Where avoidance cost me peace?
Impact insight: Money managed with intention becomes a tool for freedom and generosity.
4. Significant Other: The Power of Emotional Safety
No goal thrives in isolation. Our closest relationships shape the way we show up everywhere else.
Reflect on:
When did I feel most deeply connected this year?
How did we navigate conflict differently than before?
Where did I grow in emotional maturity?
What is this relationship being asked to become next?
Impact insight: The quality of your goals often mirrors the quality of your emotional safety.
5. Friends & Family: The Ecology of Belonging
Our relationships form the emotional infrastructure of our lives.
Ask:
Who surprised me with their support?
Which relationships strengthened—and which gently faded?
Where did I choose boundaries over burnout?
What joy or grief still deserves to be honored?
Impact insight: Not every relationship is meant to grow—but every lesson is meant to shape you.
6. Impact & Change-Maker Experience: The Difference You Made
This is where purpose becomes tangible.
Reflect on:
Where did my presence change something for the better?
What cause stirred something deeper in me this year?
When did I feel aligned with my purpose?
What impact did I try to control instead of collaborate with?
Impact insight: You don’t need a stage to be a change-maker—only intention and consistency.
7. Environment: The Spaces That Shape Us
Our surroundings influence our nervous systems more than we realize.
Ask yourself:
What spaces supported my peace?
Which environments drained me?
What did I release this year—and how did that change me?
What upgrade would most improve my daily life?
Impact insight: You don’t rise only to your goals—you settle into your environment.
8. Personal & Spiritual Growth: The Inner Work That Changes Everything
This is the layer beneath every other layer.
Reflect on:
What version of myself did I outgrow?
When did fear loosen its grip?
What practice changed me the most?
What truth did I finally stop resisting?
Impact insight: Not all growth looks dramatic—but it is always directional.
From Reflection to Goals: The Bridge Forward
Goals rooted only in ambition often burn fast and fade. But goals grounded in reflection carry endurance. When we understand how the past year shaped us, we stop chasing what no longer fits. We choose with wisdom instead of urgency.
Instead of asking:
“What do I want to achieve next year?”
Try asking:
“What kind of impact do I want my life to have next year?”
Because the most powerful goals don’t just change our schedules…
They change our capacity to love, lead, serve, heal, and build.
