My wife and I have a little New Year’s Eve tradition we’ve come to love. Dinner combined with a little reflecting/dreaming. We head to a restaurant and bring two sheets of paper. Nat gets one, I get the other. On one side of each paper we write “Thankful in 2011,” on the other “Hopeful in 2012.” We spend time individually writing on both sides and then share out loud.
We follow that time by asking a few questions we’ve collected over the years. I’ve “borrowed” these questions from others and wanted to share them with you. Maybe they are questions you’d like to answer personally, with your ‘significant other,’ with your YL team, or even your Campaigners group.
You can download a Word doc of the questions here.
Not all the questions are going to trip your trigger, but hopefully there are enough good ones to get your holiday conversations started….
Questions From 2011
-The most fun times you can remember:-Terms you would use to describe yourself in 2011:
-Memorable things you heard people say:
-Times when the Gospel came alive:
-People you came to appreciate in a new way:
-Music that touched you deeply:
-In what ways did you change?
-Sermons/talks that rocked yo world:
-Movies that impacted you:
-Things that books taught you:
-The most compelling philosophical insights you encountered:
-Times when you entered a place of mystery:
-People who came through for you:
-Ways you messed up:
-Ways that you were magic:
-Times that God took you by surprise:
-The most stimulating discussions:
-Things you remember that you’d rather forget:
-The most difficult times:
-People who poured out their souls to you:
-Ways you were challenged:
-When everything was going wrong and suddenly turned out right:
-Your most significant accomplishments:
-What spiritual practices generated the greatest benefit to your soul:
-Was there any anger, guilt, greed or jealousy that needs to be resolved:
-Did you honor God with your finances and give generously?
-Did you cultivate your prayer life?
-How did you do as a father/mother?
-As a husband/wife?
-As a son/daughter?
-As a grandson/granddaughter?
-As a brother/sister?
-As a friend?-If you were to give a title to 2011:
Questions For 2012-What hopes do you have for the coming year?
-What apprehensions do you have about the coming year?-What one change could you make in your behavior in 2012 that would help you to live in greater alignment with your values?
-What daring and potentially thrilling things would you like to do?
-What would you like to change about yourself?
-If 2012 is to have a title, what do you want it to be?
-If you knew now that 2012 would be your last year on earth, what would you do more of? Less of?
-What major things do you want to accomplish this coming year?
-Who do you want to get to know better this coming year?
-Any wild predictions about what will happen throughout this nation and the world?
-Who are the top ten relationships you intend to influence in 2012?
-How will you be more intentional with these people than in 2011?
-What has to happen in 2012 for you to label it “your best year yet?”
-What is the wildest, most unconventional thing you could do this next year to live with more passion?
-What out of the box thinking could you do in your job/ministry?
-How will you honor God with your finances in this next year? In what specific areas will you give more generously?
-Who will hold you accountable to be at your best this next year?
-What are the most purposeful daily habits you could develop/upgrade over the next 12 months?
-Identify specific messes or clutter projects you’d like to clean up in the next 12 months:
-Proverbs 22:1 says a good name is more desirable than great riches. Identify 3 qualities you’d like to see associated with your name as well as how you’d define each quality.
-How will you take better care of your health in this next year?
-What will you do to daily renew your mind?
Special thanks to Jon Stine, Bryson Vogeltanz, John Woodall, and others for crafting and sharing such thoughtful questions!
What questions would you add?
