The Power of Yearly Reflection: Learn, Release, and Realign

As the year comes to an end, many people rush straight into goal-setting for the new year.  (I know I’ve been guilty of this.)  New plans.  New habits.  New intentions.  But as many successful people have noted, before we look forward, there is something deeply valuable in looking back.

Reviewing the year isn’t about judging yourself, or focusing on what went wrong.  It’s about understanding your journey, honouring your growth, and gently choosing what you want to carry forward — and what you’re ready to release. 

This time can allow us to go within.  To reflect.  And if we give ourselves the time and grace to go beyond the surface, it can be a valuable exercise that can help us going forward.  It can allow us to learn from our mistakes, and integrate our wisdom.

When done with kindness, a yearly review can bring clarity, peace, and a strong sense of direction for the year ahead.

Life moves fast.  We often go from one month to the next without stopping to notice how much we’ve changed. 

We’ve gone through various experiences, we’ve tried new things, we’ve met new people.  Each of these can change us, even if the changes seem minor at first.  And if we don’t take the time to reflect, and review, we don’t discover what went wrong, and what went right, and why.  We don’t learn from the experiences, and gain the wisdom from the reflection.  This reflection allows us to integrate the changes, and update our thoughts, and emotions.  It gives us a chance to learn, and to integrate our mind, body, and soul. 

Taking time to review the year helps you:

• Make sense of your experiences

• Learn from challenges without blame

• Acknowledge your progress (even the quiet wins)

• Reconnect with what truly matters to you

Many people feel tired, overwhelmed, or unsure as a new year approaches.  A gentle review can replace that heaviness with understanding and self-trust.  We can learn, integrate our thoughts and feelings, and move forward with confidence and peace.

Leonie Dawson did a great podcast on this, The #1 Mistake People Make with Setting Goals.  I found this to be a really clear and helpful explanation of why we should review the previous year, and the benefits we get from doing this.  (Leonie also has a 2026 My Brilliant Year Workbook, which I’ve started filling out – and I love it!  Please note this is an affiliate link, so if you buy using this link, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.)   

Every year brings lessons — even the difficult ones.

Some lessons come through joy and success.  Others come through discomfort, endings, or moments that stretched you.  

While I know some people think that we only learn through difficult times, I believe we can learn from everything.  I also believe we can learn from others.  Oprah Winfrey has said the same thing.  She’s said that she had so many people, including therapists, on the show, and she ‘took it in.’ 

When we don’t pause to reflect, those lessons can be missed.  Some time spent in reflection and integration can be very helpful and valuable for us, and our personal growth journey.

Ask yourself:

• What did this year teach me about myself?

• When did I feel most aligned?

• What challenges helped me grow stronger or wiser?

You don’t need perfect answers.  Even small insights can be powerful.  These lessons become our guide-posts for future choices.

Wisdom is different from lessons.  Lessons are learned.  Wisdom is integrated.

As you review the year, notice:

• What worked well for you

• What supported your wellbeing

• Which choices felt right in your body and heart

This wisdom might show you that you need more rest, more fun, clearer boundaries, or more time doing what lights you up.  This in turn helps you plan for the coming year eg. ok, that boundary wasn’t respected, how can I adjust it going forward?  (Our blog post How to Set Boundaries with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: A Kind and Gentle Approach can help with this.)

Keeping this wisdom helps you make kinder, more aligned choices moving forward.

Not everything from the past year needs to come with you.  This is a great time to review the ‘baggage’ you’ve accumulated, go through it, and let go of anything that you no longer want or need.  You don’t have to carry everything around with you.

You may be holding onto:

• Old habits that drain you

• Beliefs that keep you small

• Expectations that aren’t truly yours

• Guilt about things you can’t change

Letting go doesn’t mean failure.  It means growth.  (Our blog post The Art of Surrender: Finding Freedom in Letting Go discusses this.)

When you release what no longer fits, you create space — space for ease, clarity, and new possibilities.  It also allows you to see the opportunities in front of you.

Integration is the quiet step many people skip.

Before setting intentions for the new year, it helps to pause, and allow everything you’ve learned to settle.  This is where understanding turns into confidence.

Integration might look like:

• Journaling about key moments from the year

• Sitting in reflection or meditation

• Naming what you want more — and less — of in your life

Our blog post End-of-Year Reflection: 12 Questions to Close the Year with Gratitude and Growth can help you here.

This step helps you move into the new year grounded, rather than rushed.

Living your Best Life isn’t about being perfect, or having everything sorted.  It’s about living in a way that feels true to you.

Reviewing the past year helps with this because it brings awareness — and awareness allows change.

When you look back with honesty and kindness, you begin to see:

• What truly matters to you

• What drains your energy

• What brings you joy, meaning, and peace

• Where you’ve been living in alignment — and where you haven’t

This clarity helps you make better choices.  Choices that are based on your values, not pressure, guilt, or habit.

A yearly review also builds self-trust.  You start to notice that you have grown.  You have handled hard things.  You have learned what works for you.  This confidence makes it easier to say yes to what supports you — and no to what doesn’t.

Most importantly, reviewing the year helps you move from living on autopilot, to living with intention.  Instead of repeating the same patterns, you can gently choose a different path.

When you reflect, release, and realign, you’re not just planning a new year — you’re consciously creating a life that feels more calm, meaningful, and aligned.

And that’s what living your Best Life is really about.

You don’t need to ‘fix’ yourself before the new year begins.  You don’t need to have everything figured out.

Reviewing the year is simply an act of self-respect.  It honours where you’ve been, who you’ve become, and what matters to you now.  And yes, it changes over time, and that’s ok.  It means that you’re learning, and growing, and moving forward.

When you take the time to reflect, release, and integrate, you step into the new year with clarity, confidence, and a stronger connection to yourself.  And who doesn’t want to feel that, moving in a new year?

Reviewing the year is a gift you give yourself.  It allows you to slow down, make sense of what you’ve lived through, and honour how far you’ve come.  

When you take time to reflect, release what no longer serves you, and integrate the wisdom you’ve gained, you step into the new year with more clarity, calm, and self-trust.  

You don’t need to have all the answers — just a willingness to pause and listen.  

From this place, creating a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and supportive becomes not only possible, but natural.

1.      Why is it important to review the past year?

Reviewing the past year helps you gain clarity, understanding, and perspective.  It allows you to learn from your experiences, honour your growth, and make more aligned choices instead of repeating the same patterns.

2.      What if my year was hard or disappointing?

That’s exactly when a review is most helpful.  You don’t review the year to judge yourself — you do it to gently understand what you’ve been through, what you’ve learned, and what you’re ready to release so you can move forward with compassion.

3.      Do I need to review the year before setting new goals?

While it’s not required, it makes a big difference.  Reviewing the year first helps your goals come from awareness and values rather than pressure, guilt, or habit.  This leads to intentions that feel supportive and realistic.  Leonie Dawson did a great podcast on the benefits of reviewing the past year in The #1 Mistake People Make with Setting Goals. 

4.     How does reviewing the year help me feel clearer and calmer?

Reflection slows everything down.  When you pause and look back, your thoughts settle, emotions make sense, and you stop carrying unprocessed experiences into the new year.  This creates clarity, calm, and emotional relief.

5.     What should I focus on when reviewing the year?

Focus on lessons learned, moments of growth, what worked well, what drained your energy, and what truly mattered to you.  There’s no right or wrong way — it’s about honest reflection, not perfection.  Our blog post End-of-Year Reflection: 12 Questions to Close the Year with Gratitude and Growth can help you here.

6.     Can reviewing the year help me let go of what no longer serves me?

Yes, it can help.  When you become aware of what isn’t supporting you, letting go becomes easier and more natural.  This might include habits, beliefs, expectations, or patterns that no longer align with who you are now.  Our blog post The Art of Surrender: Finding Freedom in Letting Go discusses this in more detail.

7.     How long should a yearly review take?

It can take as little as 15 minutes, or be spread over a few days.  What matters most is intention, not time.  Even short moments of reflection can create powerful insights.

8.     Do I need special tools or journals to review my year?

No, you don’t.  All you really need is a quiet moment, and a willingness to reflect.  Journals, planners, or guided prompts can help, but they’re optional.  The value comes from your honesty, not the tools.  (Having said that, if you’d like a colourful workbook which helps you both release the past year, and create and plan your next amazing year, Leonie Dawson's 2026 My Brilliant Year Workbook is great! I’ve started the reflection process, and am filling it out – and I love it!  Please note this is an affiliate link, so if you buy using this link, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.)   

9.      How does reviewing the year help me live my Best Life?

Reviewing the year helps you live with intention instead of autopilot.  By understanding what matters to you, what supports you, and what holds you back, you can consciously create a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and fulfilling.  (Please see the link in the previous question to help you create your next year.)

10.       When is the best time to review the year?

Any time you feel ready.  Many people do this at the end or beginning of a year, but reflection is valuable whenever you feel called to pause, reset, and realign.  I know some people do this review weekly, or monthly, and find it helpful.

Leonie Dawson's fun, colourful workbook 2026 My Brilliant Year Workbook is brilliant! She has sold over 500,000 copies over the years, and has heaps of testimonials from happy customers! I’ve bought the bound workbook, and have started filling it out – and I love it!  (I bought the business version - there is also a life version - and as she has been using them for years, and is a multi-millionaire, I trust that what I need to focus on will be included. Please note this is an affiliate link, so if you buy using this link, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.)   

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We have also created stand-alone pages in the 7 life segments with all blogs, freebies, and paid products grouped together, so you can easily find and review items of interest to you.  Click on the links below to find the areas of most interest to you!  

Life Purpose & Best Life - Health & Wellness - Relationships - Abundance - Personal Growth - Peace of Mind - Spirituality & Energy.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-puzzles-of-your-past/202107/purpose-and-the-life-review

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nazbeheshti/2020/01/07/why-you-should-do-a-year-end-review-great-leaders-look-back-before-they-look-ahead/

https://hbr.org/2023/12/how-to-create-your-own-year-in-review

https://www.verywellmind.com/self-reflection-importance-benefits-and-strategies-7500858

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgk-g-xFodU (Oprah Winfrey interview)

This blog post is for general information and personal reflection only.  It is not intended to replace professional medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice.  Please trust your own judgment and seek professional support if needed.  Any reflections or suggestions shared are offered gently, with the intention of supporting self-awareness, clarity, and personal growth.