The end of the year or your own birthday are both for reflection on the days and months that came before. We try to look back on all the things that went right and the things that maybe could've been better. The highs and the lows, the moments where we experienced stress, where we felt love. We try to make new resolutions for the year ahead. But sometimes we fail to notice trends as the years go by quicker and quicker.
I'm 34 years old and 35 is quickly approaching. Someone should have told me that your 30s will fly by; it's like I only just turned 30 but I'm almost half way through. We still can't slow down time, except for maybe orbiting a black hole, and everything's relative. But I somehow feel like I'm losing my grip as the years go by.
Recently I came across Stephan Ango's 40 questions. It's a list of questions you can ask yourself every year and you can keep the answers around to maybe spot trends and you can share the questions with family and friends to have a conversation about what it's been like for them. You certainly don't have to have an immediate answer to everything then and there - instead, take your time. It might take a week or two to answer them all and that's perfectly fine.
The world is a loud place that never stops moving. Sometimes it's good to step out of it for a little bit to sit down and reflect on everything that happened and everything that awaits you. Ask yourself these 40 questions, it might help you understand yourself and the world around you just a bit more.