I know it’s just another arbitrary day, but I like to begin the new year looking forward. That usually means I spend the waning days of December reviewing things.

My tendency is often to gloss over problems and let myself off the hook more than I should, so I like to carve out some time to really ask myself some hard questions — so I can see where I need to grow.

Here are some of the questions I am asking myself this year:

• What did I fail at? For projects that did not succeed, or are not fulfilling expectations, what part did I play?
• Where have I made progress? Where have I not made progress?
• What have I neglected this year?
• Are my metrics honest? Do they really measure the outcomes and outputs that are important?
• Where should I have spoken up? Where did I not act when I should have? What should I have done, and when?
• To whom do I owe amends? Am I willing to make them? If not, why not, and what will I do instead?
• What hard truths am I avoiding?
• What grade would I give myself as a leader, as a service provider, as an employee?

Self-assessment doesn’t have to be a negative exercise, but to me it is only worthwhile if I focus on what needs to change and not just pat myself on the back. It helps to have a dedicated time to focus in on the hard stuff so I can enjoy the good stuff with a clean conscience.

What hard questions are you asking yourself?

Let me know in the comments.