Recently we looked at 20 Questions to Reflect on your Challenges for the year. As promised at the end of that post, today we will be focusing on 20 questions to reflect on your joy and happiness for the year.
Where there is dark, there is also light. Where there is struggle there is also joy.
When we are busy is can be easy to overlook the joyful moments, so reflecting on our joy, happiness, relaxation, and enjoyment can be a powerful and inspiring exercise.
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A quick word on the questions.
Don’t worry if you don’t have an answer for every question but definitely give them some thought. You might be pleasantly surprised by the fun stuff you remember. 🙂
After each question, I’ve added some ideas to help get you thinking.
Please also don’t think you missed out on something if you can’t relate to a question. We all find our joy in different ways, so not everything has to apply to everyone. Comparing your happiness to someone else’s is the quickest way to be unhappy!
You’ll get more out of this exercise if you write down your answers, so grab your favorite journal and get busy.
Let’s have some fun and dive into 20 questions to reflect on your joy and happiness for the year.
1. What fun did you have with your family?
Hopefully, you had a lot of happy, joyous moments with your family during the year but for this exercise I want you to pick out some of your favorite moments.
Remember that family doesn’t have to mean blood relatives. We choose our families from the people who mean the most to us.
2. What fun did you have with your friends?
I’m sure you had lots of fun hanging out with your friends during the year but think back to some of your favorite
moments.
You probably have a bunch of photos on your phone, so have a quick flick through those to remind yourself how much fun you had. 🙂
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3. What fun did you have with your partner?
What amazing, fun, happy moments did you have with your partner?
Think about the times you laughed so much your stomach ached.
Or it could be a lot more subtle, it might have been a special little moment between the two of you that was packed with meaning.
4. What were the happiest and most joyful times spent with your children?
While I am not a parent, I appreciate that children can be a lot of work. Children are a big responsibility.
They are also one of the greatest joys in people’s lives, so think back on those joyous moments and really let it sink in how wonderful they truly were.
5. What were the happiest moments spent dating?
Yes, you read that correctly. For all the single folk, what fun did you have dating?
While some dates can be total duds, others can be fun. That’s the whole point of dating after all, right? To find someone you connect with, who you are attracted to, and who you enjoy spending time with.
I know dating can be frustrating but I think if you go in with the right attitude, you’ll have a better chance of meeting someone. Let’s face it, frowning and complaining aren’t going to make you attractive to a potential partner. Dating will be a much better experience if you can find the fun and joy in there somewhere!
It goes without saying that if you are dating, you should be single. If you are married and dating, I would suggest you stop immediately and get yourself back on the straight and narrow because when you get caught, your whole family’s world will implode and that will NOT be fun.
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- 20 Questions to Ask Yourself if You Want to Find Love
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6. What fun did you have at work?
While not every day will be fun at work, work should have a fun element.
A lot of the time, it’s the people who we work with that make it fun and enjoyable. Laughing with a coworker can make all the difference in how much we enjoy our jobs.
Work also comes with the satisfaction of a job well done and that’s something to be happy about. Be proud of yourself for the effort you put in at work.
The good news is we often make friends at work and that friendship moves outside of the workplace. So don’t forget to also ask the question – What fun did you have with your colleagues outside of the work environment?
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7. What fun did you have pursuing your hobbies and passions?
Having hobbies and interests is important. It’s important for our health, our minds, and our social interactions.
Our passions can see us traveling the world, helping other people, and making the world a better place. Sometimes it can mean having a great time trying to work something out.
Having hobbies that you love are even more important once you retire. We all need something to be passionate about.
8. What fun did you have learning new things?
Learning can be fun.
Sure some of the work training we get sent on might not be much fun but learning something we find interesting can be stimulating and fun.
Mastering tech can definitely be fun.
9. What everyday moments bought you joy?
These are the simple little moments that bring joy to our lives and a smile to our faces. Often we take them for granted which is why it’s important to remember them.
It could be something like the dog coming to greet you when you walk in the door or walking to work and hearing the birds calling to each other. It could be a smile or a form of recognition from your barista.
Sometimes the simplest things can bring us joy.
10. What wonderful moments did you have involving music?
Music is a great source of fun, joy, and entertainment in our lives. It makes us sing, dance, reminisce, and happy cry.
Music can evoke memories in a second, which is why it is so powerful.
What music made you happy?
Quick suggestion – put your favorite music on as you go through these questions and you’ll enjoy it even more.
11. What fun did you have traveling?
We can’t talk about fun and joy and not talk about travel. 🙂
What amazing times did you have traveling?
You might have gone overseas, had some fabulous weekends away, or gone somewhere fun locally. You might have visited your favorite big city or trekked out in the wilderness. It doesn’t matter where you went as long as you had a great time.
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12. What relaxation moments bought you joy?
How do you love to relax? For some, it might be relaxing in a hammock out in a cool breeze, for others like myself it might be sitting out in the garden reading a good book or curling up on the couch with the cat on my lap.
Different moments mean pure joy to different people.
What are your pure joy moments?
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13. What moments did you enjoy connecting with nature?
Nature is joyful.
It’s important to remember that connecting with the joys and beauty of nature doesn’t have to be climbing a mountain or maintaining a perfect garden.
It can be much simpler, like admiring a beautiful flower in your garden (even if the rest of your garden is weeds) or taking a walk in the city and noticing the trees and animals flourishing amongst the concrete buildings. It could even be the flower pots on your apartment windowsill.
If you can get out in the wilderness, great, do it as often as possible but also remember to enjoy nature right outside your door.
14. How did you enjoy spending time on your own?
You don’t have to be with other people to have fun. The introverts out there will definitely agree with me on this one!
You might have enjoyed meditating or exercising on your own. You might like listening to music, reading or writing in your journal. You might like hiking outdoors on your own.
If you rarely get time to yourself, you might cherish it even more!
Related post – Eating Alone – How to Eat Alone (And Actually Enjoy It
15. What fun and joy did you have with your pets?
Our pets can be the most joyful part of our lives. Our pets provide unconditional love, support, cuddles, and pure joy.
If you have a pet or are close to someone else’s pet, what moments did you most enjoy with them?
You will probably have many happy moments to reflect back on, so remember your favorites and smile. 🙂
16. What were your big celebrations?
What were the big occasions this year that bought you joy and laughter?
Perhaps it was a wedding or an anniversary. You might have had a graduation or special ceremony of some kind. Maybe you had an awesome birthday celebration (gotta love those!)
Related post – 20 Inspiring Happiness Quotes
17. Who were the people who encouraged you to share your happy news?
As much as I hate to say this, sometimes people like to hear bad news. They also like to share bad news.
Gossips, for example, like to share bad news, much more than good.
What we definitely need in our lives is people who encourage us to share our happy news. We all need people who listen to us. These same please encourage us to be happy.
Find the people who want you to be happy and with whom you can share your happy news.
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18. Which people in your life are the most fun to be around?
We all know people who are fun to be around. They don’t always have to be the joker of the group either.
They might simply be the person who finds the positive in everything and doesn’t let things drag them down.
Who was fun to be around?
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19. What experience turned out a lot more fun than you expected?
Sometimes joy comes from an unexpected source or moment. What turned out a lot more fun than you expected?
20. What joy did you have in your personal growth pursuit?
Personal growth can be fun and joyful.
You might take an online course that you really enjoyed and got a lot out of or you might have read a book that changed your life and made you chuckle along the way.
You might be a lot more relaxed and less anxious because of your commitment to personal growth.
Happiness, joy, and excitement can be found everywhere, we just have to remember to grab it with both hands, embrace it, enjoy it and share as much of it as we can with others.
Before we head off, I want you to make a list of 10 ways you plan on having fun and being happy in the upcoming year. It definitely helps to have fun things to look forward to. 🙂
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends on social media. It just might help them be happier and more joyful today!
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