How to audit the last year and reset with intention

Executive overview

Most people enter a new year without honestly examining what held them back in the last one. Unexamined excuses repeat. Declining areas hit crisis before they're addressed.

This is a two-part annual review: first a candid reckoning with what went wrong, then a deliberate search for what went right. It closes with the Four P's — a simple lens to identify where life is working and aim higher.

Accountability without shame is the mechanism that makes honest self-review possible.

What to examine from the last year

• What got put on hold — and was the reason actually good enough?
• What declined — and were you aware it was declining before it became a crisis?
• What angered or frustrated you — and could you handle it differently next time?
• Where did you hold back your real opinion, effort, or strength?

On excuses and accountability

• An excuse can be legitimate — something outside your control — and still be worth questioning.
• The right question isn't "did that thing cause a problem?" It's "am I bouncing back now?"
• You can take personal responsibility without shame or self-attack.
• Developing discernment over your excuses means asking: is this reason still good enough, or is it just familiar?

On decline

• Decline often goes unaddressed until it reaches crisis — the goal is to notice it earlier.
• If you're at peace with something declining (because it no longer matters), that's a choice — just make it consciously.
• If it matters, go into "SWAT mode": try repeatedly, not once.
• If you've tried repeatedly and it keeps declining — wrong philosophy, wrong practices. End it.

On anger and holding back

• Note where you got highly frustrated or angry. Ask whether that intensity was justified.
• Ask whether a different internal stance or skill set would have produced a better outcome.
• Where you held back — an opinion, your real effort, your actual self — ask why, and whether it was worth it.

Positive review: character, generosity, friendship, love

• Look back for moments where you demonstrated character: staying true to values under pressure, keeping your word when it was hard, showing restraint in conflict.
• These moments build the confidence foundation most people overlook.
• Look for generosity: who you gave to, why, what it felt like — absorb and integrate those wins.
• Review friendship: who showed up, what you built together, where connection was real.
• Review love: were you heart-centred with the people who matter most?
• Use this section to ask: how do I bring more of each into the next year?

The Four P's framework

Use the Four P's to evaluate each month or significant period:

1. Purpose — Was there meaning in what you were doing? Were you living purposefully in that situation?
2. Progress — Did the thing get better? Was there real, measurable forward movement?
3. Positivity — Was there a consistent positive emotional range, or was it chaotic?
4. Presence — Was there something special, a sense of bliss, magic, or aliveness?

• When all four are present, pay close attention — explore deeper, invest more.
• If you've rarely experienced all four together, put it on the board for next year.
• The Four P's become a target: more purpose, more progress, more positivity, more presence of something meaningful.