Self-reflection is the cornerstone of personal growth. Whether it’s daily, weekly, or yearly, taking the time to assess your failures, track your progress, and be brutally honest with yourself is essential.
Where are you now? Where did you think you’d be? And where do you want to go?
Too often, people set goals at the start of the year, only to forget about them by March. Not because they don’t care, but because they don’t have a system in place to check in with themselves. Reflection is the missing piece. It forces you to slow down, look at the bigger picture, and course-correct when necessary.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
One of the biggest traps in personal growth is comparing yourself to other people. Social media makes it worse—everywhere you look, someone is doing better, making more money, or hitting milestones you haven’t yet (or at least that’s how it appears). But their journey isn’t yours. The only person you should compare yourself to is your past self.
Are you better than you were last year? Last month? Even yesterday? That’s the real measure of progress.
Growth isn’t about keeping up with the Joneses—it’s about making sure tomorrow’s you is better than yesterday’s you.
Why Self-Reflection Works
Studies show that people who regularly reflect on their goals and habits are more likely to achieve success. One Harvard Business School study found that employees who spent 15 minutes a day reflecting on their work performed 23% better than those who didn’t. Another study from the University of Scranton revealed that only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions—but those who track progress regularly have a significantly higher chance of success.
If you’re looking to build better habits and break the ones holding you back, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is a must-read. It dives into the science of habit formation and how small changes can lead to massive personal and professional growth.
It’s simple: when you reflect, you improve.
How I Approach Reflection
I don’t just reflect at the end of the year. I do it daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly—each serving a different purpose.
- Daily reflection is about small wins. Did I exercise today? Did I learn something new?
- Weekly reflection zooms out. Did I hit my training goals? Did I stick to my commitments?
- Monthly reflection is a bigger picture. How did my business perform? How do I feel compared to last month? Am I on the right track?
- Quarterly reflection is about progress. How was this quarter’s sales vs. the last? What major growth have I seen?
- Yearly reflection is about vision. Did I become the person I set out to be this year?
Each timeframe holds different weight, and each serves a purpose. Now let’s break them down.
Daily Reflection: Small Wins, Big Results
Your daily goals should be simple and actionable. These aren’t massive life-changing goals—they’re about consistency.
- What went well today?
- What didn’t go well?
- What’s one thing I can do better tomorrow?
That’s it. Keep it simple. If you want to go deeper, journal about how you felt, what challenged you, and what you learned. But even a two-minute reflection at the end of the day can make a difference.
Some daily goals I focus on:
· Did I get 8 hours of quality sleep last night?
· Did I get my workout in today?
· Did I read for 30 minutes?
· Did I learn something new?
· Did I connect with family or friends?
It’s not about perfection—it’s about momentum. Small wins, done daily, stack up over time and create massive results.
Weekly Reflection: Checking the Pulse
Weekly goals should be a step above daily ones—bigger, more measurable, and more progress-driven.
- Did I make progress toward my goals?
- What habits need adjusting?
- What drained my energy, and what fueled it?
This is where you catch yourself before a bad habit becomes a pattern. Maybe you planned to eat healthier but realized you ate out a few nights. Or maybe you wanted to work out but kept skipping more than you should have. A weekly check-in keeps you accountable and allows you to adjust before a bad week turns into a bad month.
Some examples of my weekly goals:
· Did I get my 10 training sessions in this week?
· Did I complete my 24-hour fast?
· Did I make meaningful progress in my business or personal development?
· Did I spend sufficient, high-quality time with my wife?
Monthly Reflection: The Bigger Picture
At the end of each month, take time to review:
- What goals did I hit?
- What goals did I miss?
- Why?
Sometimes, life happens. But sometimes, we make excuses. Reflection helps you see the difference. If you didn’t hit your goals, ask yourself why. Did you actually put in the effort? Or did you let distractions take over?
Use this time to recalibrate. If something’s not working, change the approach. Maybe your goal was too broad or unrealistic. Maybe you need to simplify. Either way, monthly reflection prevents you from staying stuck.
This is when I ask myself:
· How do I feel at the end of this month vs. the beginning?
· Did my sales beat last month’s?
· Am I closer to my quarterly goals?
· How can I improve? What went wrong?
· Will I be happy with myself if I repeat this behavior in future months?
I track my business’s performance weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly because each timeframe tells a different story. A bad week might not matter, but a bad month? That’s a problem.
Quarterly Reflection: The Reality Check
Every three months, it’s time for a bigger check-in. By now, you’ve gone through an entire season, and patterns start to emerge.
- Am I closer to my yearly goals?
- What’s holding me back?
- Is this still the direction I want to go?
Quarterly reflection is where you make bigger adjustments. If something isn’t working, pivot. If you’re not seeing progress, figure out why. This is when people often realize they’ve been focusing on the wrong things. Maybe the goal itself needs to change.
My quarterly non-negotiables:
· A 72-hour fast—hard, but necessary.
· Reviewing this quarter’s sales vs. the last.
· Tracking how many books I’ve read.
· Identifying what I’ve actually put into practice that’s contributed to positive growth.
Quarterly reflection forces you to ask: Am I actually improving? Or just staying busy? Think of this like your midterm exam. Remember those?
Yearly Reflection: The Bigger Vision
At the end of the year, everything comes full circle. This is the ultimate report card. You must be brutally honest with yourself:
· Did I become the person I wanted to be this year?
- What worked? What didn’t?
- What’s next?
What I Reflect on at the End of the Year:
- Personal Relationships: Have my relationships strengthened? Have I stayed connected with the people who matter most?
- Business Performance: How did my business do this year compared to last year?
- Health Progress: Did my health improve the way I intended? I compare this year’s bloodwork to last year’s—because the data doesn’t lie.
- Wealth Growth: How has my financial situation evolved? Keeping a personal balance sheet is crucial for tracking real progress. Again, numbers don’t lie.
Reflection isn’t just about fixing what’s wrong. It’s about appreciating how far you’ve come. Maybe you didn’t hit every goal, but you grew. You learned. You adapted. That’s what matters.
Final Thoughts
Self-reflection isn’t just about checking off boxes—it’s about making sure your life is actually moving in the direction you want. It’s easy to drift through life without realizing you’re going nowhere. But when you take time to reflect, you stay in control.
So here’s the challenge: Start today. Tonight, take five minutes to reflect. Then do it again tomorrow. And the next day. Build the habit. Because when you do, 2025 won’t just be another year—it’ll be the year you actually make things happen.
Let’s go.