Fireside chats over a glass of mulled wine or a frosty pint of beer are times to reflect on the past year and to thoughtfully and intentionally move forward with plans to achieve different results this year. We look back at the last 12 months, celebrate the wins and focus each area of our lives – relationships, family, business, health, lifestyle, personal growth and so on. I then set intentions about the goals I want to accomplish in the coming year for each area.

Here are some of my favourite questions to reflect on as an entrepreneur:

• Did I walk the talk?

Did I achieve my business goals this year? It is a lot easier to have good intentions and want to effect change but it is quite another to put new actions in place or stop repeating past actions. For example, perhaps I planned to have an employee grow into a different role in the business. Did that happen? Why or why not? Was the way it happened effective? How could the process have been better? smoother?

• Did I let fear hold me back?

There’s nothing like a healthy dose of fear to let us know we are alive and to protect us from threats. But, as entrepreneurs, we need to recognize threats and instead of fleeing, we need to move forward in a way that mitigates risks.

• What gets me excited, gives me energy, and motivates me to excel?

Reconnect with my passions. Are there ways I could spend more time in this zone rather than with activities and tasks that drain energy?

• What do I want to be doing in one year? In five years? In ten years? At retirement?

What steps do I need to take this year to achieve this vision? How will I hold myself accountable for getting there?

• Did I invest in myself?

Entrepreneurs don’t often need to look very far to find an excuse NOT to participate in self-development. Keep growing as an individual.

• What was the best financial decision I made last year?

Can I repeat it? What were the circumstances that led me to this decision? What was my worst financial decision? Have I / can I put safeguards in place so I don’t repeat it?

• What do I wish I had done more of last year?

To do more of something, I need to do less of something else… what will I do less of? delegate? just stop doing? How will I make this happen?

• What is the ONE thing I will do this year to improve my life?

I not only focus on the WHAT but also the HOW. If I don’t figure out how I will make this improvement in my life, it will become another shrine on the windy path paved with good intentions.