Questions · End-of-year reflection

End-of-year reflection questions that are honest, not a highlight reel

Questions for the strange, slow week at the end of December, when the calendar is empty and the year finally holds still long enough to look at. For a notebook, a friend or a small table of people you trust.

  • 18 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
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Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Reflect№ 06

Which part of this season asks for more patience from you?

Anong part ng season na ito ang humihingi ng mas mahabang pasensya sa'yo?

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A note

Patience is not always passive. Sometimes it is the steady work of staying kind while something takes time.

Hindi laging passive ang patience. Minsan trabaho rin siyang manatiling mabait habang may bagay na mabagal talaga.

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The questions

18 end-of-year reflection questions

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Looking back at who you were this year

7 questions

What shifted, quietly, while you were busy.

  1. Which part of this season asks for more patience from you?

    Anong part ng season na ito ang humihingi ng mas mahabang pasensya sa'yo?

    Back of the card

    Patience is not always passive. Sometimes it is the steady work of staying kind while something takes time.

    Hindi laging passive ang patience. Minsan trabaho rin siyang manatiling mabait habang may bagay na mabagal talaga.

  2. Which part of your personality has been showing up more lately?

    Anong part ng personality mo ang mas lumalabas lately?

    Back of the card

    The parts showing up may be asking to be noticed, used, or cared for. Curiosity can be a gentle start.

    Yung parts na mas lumalabas, baka gusto lang mapansin, magamit, o maalagaan. Puwedeng curiosity muna ang start.

  3. Describe the kind of person your recent choices point toward.

    I-describe kung anong klaseng tao ang tinuturo ng recent choices mo.

    Back of the card

    Your choices are not the whole story, but they do point somewhere. Notice the direction without rushing to judge it.

    Hindi buong story ang choices mo, pero may direction silang tinuturo. Pansinin muna bago husgahan.

  4. Name something you are outgrowing, even if you still care about it.

    Magsabi ng isang bagay na parang ino-outgrow mo na, kahit may care ka pa rin doon.

    Back of the card

    Outgrowing something does not always mean rejecting it. Sometimes it means honoring what was real while making room to change.

    Hindi laging rejection ang pag-outgrow. Minsan pag-honor siya sa naging totoo, habang gumagawa ng space para magbago.

  5. Name one truth about this season that has been hard to admit but helpful to say.

    Magsabi ng isang truth sa season na ito na mahirap aminin pero helpful sabihin.

    Back of the card

    Some truths become less heavy when they stop hiding. Naming them can be a quiet form of courage.

    May mga truth na gumagaan kapag hindi na tinatago. Minsan courage na rin yung kaya mo siyang pangalanan.

  6. What do you like more about yourself than you used to?

    Ano ang mas nagugustuhan mo sa sarili mo kaysa dati?

    Back of the card

    Would you appreciate the same thing in another person? Your story can stay private.

    Magugustuhan mo rin ba iyon sa ibang tao? Puwedeng itago ang sarili mong kuwento.

  7. Which version of your past self are you starting to understand more now?

    Aling version ng past self mo ang nagsisimula mong mas maintindihan ngayon?

    Back of the card

    Understanding your past self does not erase what happened. It can soften the way you hold the person you were.

    Hindi binubura ng understanding ang nangyari. Pero puwede nitong palambutin kung paano mo hinahawakan yung dating ikaw.

What it cost, and what it gave

6 questions

The parts of the year that took energy, and the small things that helped.

  1. Name one pressure you may have gotten used to carrying lately.

    Magbanggit ng isang pressure na baka nasanay ka nang dalhin lately.

    Back of the card

    Some pressure becomes familiar, but familiar does not always mean light. You can notice it without needing to solve it tonight.

    May pressure na nasasanayan, pero hindi ibig sabihin magaan na siya. Puwede mo munang mapansin bago ayusin.

  2. Where are you spending energy that you wish you could save?

    Saan napupunta ang energy mo na sana naiipon mo na lang?

    Back of the card

    Energy is limited, even when love or responsibility is real. Noticing the drain is the first step toward caring for it.

    Limited ang energy, kahit totoo ang love o responsibility. Kapag napansin mo kung saan ka nauubos, mas maalagaan mo siya.

  3. Name one thing you are learning about your limits with energy, time, emotions, or responsibilities.

    Magbanggit ng isang natututuhan mo tungkol sa limits mo sa energy, time, emotions, o responsibilities.

    Back of the card

    Limits can feel frustrating, but they are also information. They show where care needs to become more practical.

    Nakaka-frustrate minsan ang limits, pero may information din sila. Ipinapakita nila kung saan kailangang maging mas practical ang care.

  4. Name one mistake you are ready to stop replaying so much.

    Magsabi ng isang mistake na ready ka nang hindi paulit-ulit i-replay.

    Back of the card

    A mistake can teach without taking over the whole story. You can remember the lesson without replaying the hurt.

    Puwedeng may tinuro ang mistake nang hindi siya ang buong story. Puwede mong tandaan ang lesson nang hindi inuulit ang sakit.

  5. Where do you need to be less harsh with yourself?

    Saan mo kailangang bawasan ang pagiging harsh sa sarili mo?

    Back of the card

    Being less harsh does not mean caring less. It can mean choosing a voice that helps you keep moving honestly.

    Hindi ibig sabihin na wala kang pakialam kapag hindi ka harsh. Baka mas helpful lang ang boses na hindi ka dinudurog.

  6. Name one tiny habit that has been helping you lately.

    Magsabi ng isang tiny habit na nakakatulong sa'yo lately.

    Back of the card

    Small habits can hold more weight than they look like. Notice the quiet things that help you keep going.

    May bigat din ang maliit na habit. Pansinin yung tahimik na bagay na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.

What you’re carrying forward

5 questions

For the last page of the notebook, or the last coffee of the year.

  1. Name one hope you are protecting because it matters to you.

    Magsabi ng isang hope na iniingatan mo kasi mahalaga talaga sa'yo.

    Back of the card

    We often protect the hopes that feel tender. You can hold it carefully without pretending it does not matter.

    Madalas nating ingatan ang hopes na tender. Puwede mo siyang hawakan nang maingat nang hindi nagkukunwaring hindi siya mahalaga.

  2. Point to one direction you feel drawn toward, even if it is not fully clear yet.

    Magbanggit ng isang direction na feeling mo tinutulak ka, kahit hindi pa fully clear.

    Back of the card

    Clarity sometimes arrives after movement. You can honor the direction without pretending you know the whole path.

    Minsan dumarating ang clarity habang gumagalaw ka na. Puwede mong i-honor ang direction nang hindi nagpapanggap na alam mo ang buong path.

  3. Name something you want to be known for by people close to you.

    Magsabi ng isang bagay na gusto mong maalala sa'yo ng mga taong close sa'yo.

    Back of the card

    The way you want to be known can reveal what you value. It can also guide one small choice today.

    Yung gusto mong maalala nila sa'yo, may pinapakitang value. Puwede rin siyang gumabay sa isang maliit na choice today.

  4. Pick one value you want to show up in your week.

    Pumili ng isang value na gusto mong makita sa week mo.

    Back of the card

    A value becomes real in small choices. One week is enough space to practice it gently.

    Nagiging real ang value sa maliliit na choices. Sapat na ang isang week para i-practice siya nang gentle.

  5. Where do you feel pulled in two directions?

    Saan mo nararamdaman na hinihila ka sa dalawang direction?

    Back of the card

    Feeling pulled does not mean you are weak. It may mean two real things are asking for your attention.

    Hindi ibig sabihin mahina ka kapag nahihila sa dalawang direction. Baka dalawang totoong bagay lang ang humihingi ng pansin.

How to use them

Before you ask

A good end-of-year reflection asks what changed in you, not just what happened to you. The trips and promotions are easy to list. The quieter changes, like a habit that started helping or a fear that got smaller, are the ones worth writing down.

Most year-end reviews go wrong in one of two directions: a highlight reel for social media, or a list of everything you didn’t get done. These questions sit between the two. They ask what the year cost you, what you learned about your limits, and which mistake you’re ready to stop replaying.

Take one group at a time. Three honest answers in a notebook are worth more than twenty rushed ones, and the best answers often come on the second day you think about a question.

Good for

  • Journaling between Christmas and New Year
  • A year-end walk or coffee with a close friend
  • Small year-end dinners
  • Couples looking back on the year together
  • Anyone who finds “new year, new me” exhausting

Tips

  1. Answer in writing first, then out loud. You’ll say more after you’ve seen your own words.
  2. Look at your camera roll month by month before you start; it brings back what you forgot.
  3. Don’t grade the year. Describe it.
  4. Stop at the questions that feel heavy and come back tomorrow.
  5. Keep your answers and read them next December.

Decks for this

Three ways to do a year-end reflection

Alone, with a journal. Pick one question a day for the week between Christmas and New Year. Write for ten minutes, then stop, even mid-sentence. By New Year’s Day you have a small, honest record of the year.

With one friend. Take a long walk or a slow breakfast and trade the same three questions. Friends often see the change in you more clearly than you do, so ask them to answer about you as well.

With a small group. A year-end dinner for four to six people works well. Go around once per group of questions, let anyone pass, and keep the cards face down until it’s time, so nobody spends dinner rehearsing.

End-of-year reflection

Frequently asked questions

What are good end-of-year reflection questions?

Questions about how you changed, not just what you did: which part of the year asked the most patience of you, which pressure you got used to carrying, what you learned about your limits, and what you want to carry into next year.

How do you reflect on the year without feeling bad?

Describe instead of grading. Ask what the year taught you and what helped, and name one mistake you’re ready to stop replaying. Reflection is for understanding, not a performance review.

Can you do a year-end reflection with friends?

Yes. A walk with one friend or a small dinner works well: everyone answers the same few questions, anyone can pass, and friends often notice changes in you that you missed.

Is there an app for reflection questions?

The free Kumustahan app has a Reflect deck you can draw from one card at a time, alone or with others. Every card is in English with a Filipino translation.

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