4 Questions to Ask Yourself

Read time: 4 minutes

It's that time of the year.

• When we all gather together.

• When we all spread love & kindness.

• When we all set new goals & visions for ourselves.

But...

Is this time of year only for that?

Me, personally — I love the end of year for various other reasons.

90% of them do surround the fact that I get to see & spend quality time with my loved ones.

The remaining 10% though?

Being able to know myself even better than I already do.

Every December, I set aside some time to reflect.

Specifically, on where I was at this exact time 12 months ago.

This "where" that I refer to here encapsulates the following:

1. Who I was

2. What I was doing

3. Where I was located

4. Who surrounded me

5. What I wanted for myself

These 5 parameters give me a pretty holistic picture of how I used to see the world exactly at this time last year.

When you record and store your reflections — whether in a journal or on your laptop — and revisit them months later, it's pretty wild to see how much has changed.

And on the other hand — how many things have come true.

Things that were merely ideas & thoughts only last December.

It really goes to show how much can change in under 365 days.

Especially when you're...

• Committed

• Have found your purpose 

• Continually show up day in, day out.

That's the thing.

Setting time intentionally to reflect, collect your thoughts, & gather data is, in my opinion, the biggest driver towards finding your purpose.

Why?

Because you're creating time — out of your ordinary, busy lifestyle — to slow down.

Time that you would've normally spent on your phone mindlessly scrolling, doing work-related activities, and/or engaging in social gatherings.

I'm not saying that any of these are necessarily "bad" (well maybe the aimless scrolling) — but, the point is that when we're so caught up in our own lives, we never end up having time for ourselves.

This is why the majority of our current society lives their Life on autopilot — thinking, feeling, & living the same thoughts, emotions, & feelings every single day on repeat.

Let's face it.

When was the last time you made some time for yourself?

Going to the gym or sleeping a tad earlier isn't what I mean here.

Yes, they're great places to start...

However, I’m referring to a more intentional practice — one where you’re observing your own thoughts 1-on-1, with complete focus.

Working out or sleeping more don't necessarily give you that same level of access that properly journaling or meditating may bring forward.

So, my friends, all this to say:

Create time this December for yourself.

Don't wait for January to start setting new intentions & goals.

Why wait?!

When you can create the time right now.

As I reflected on my journey this past week, I felt proud of how much I envisioned for myself last year — and how much of it I turned into reality.

That said, I also see plenty of areas where I’m excited to keep growing and improving.

The beauty of intentional reflection like this one is that you're not coming to it from a place of judgment.

You're fully showing up with the intention of noticing. Of bringing judgement-free & curiosity-only awareness.

This is the true beauty that reflection can bring to your Life.

Especially when you do it with a relatively "short-term" timeline in mind.

If you really think about it, 12 months isn't a whole lot.

Lots of folks love to set visions & dreams for the next 3-5 years.

And there's nothing wrong with having a clear big vision to work towards.

But, then — in the meantime, they don't make the time to audit, analyze, & evaluate how things are moving towards that main trajectory.

This is why I'm sharing this with you today.

Something that all my 1:1 clients are being asked to do as well.

These 4 questions that I'm about to present are solely about forming patterns & seeing connections between things.

There's no pre-required length or time you need to take for this.

You do what feels right for you at that very moment.

You can even start & come back to it later.

As you wish, my friends.

But, do yourselves the favour & commit to doing it before 2024 ends...

I stumbled upon these questions at the end of last year thanks to Nicolas Cole. So all the credit for these goes out to him!

Go ahead, my friends.

Take a crack at it.

And while you do — enjoy the process.

We all know how much we love talking about ourselves with others.

This is your chance to do exactly that — except, this time, it’s just with yourself.

No better way to go within.

Remember — dreaming is free.

Allow yourself to dream. It's okay to do so.

But, please, let those dreams be the real driving force of who you end up becoming when you look back at this exact time next year.

For me, my friends, I couldn't be more grateful.

At this time last year, I had no clue I would’ve coached over 200+ people and been flown out by numerous companies to give speeches.

Here's the thing though:

Life works exactly like it's supposed to.

Today, I'm writing this letter from a plane on my way to Italy to deliver my last company speech of the year.

And guess what?

If I don't take the time to slow down, look around me, & anchor myself in the present moment...

I'll look back next December & wonder where all the time went.

Create your time, my friends.

There's nothing more beautiful.

Thank you for being part of this wonderful journey with me.

That's it for me on this one.

Happy Saturday & Much Love,

Julian