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If you’re up for a challenge that is about as pleasant as trying to explain why you haven’t responded to a message for weeks even though you’ve done 28 social media posts, this one’s for you. Here are 10 brutally hard open-ended questions for you to peel (ok, rip) off the protective layers of bull$hit and dig deep into the choices you’ve made in 2024.
3 Reasons to Read This Article
- Ditch the BS: Dive into questions that cut through the fluff and help you face the stuff you’ve been avoiding.
- Less “How-To,” More “Why Not”: Get real about why you’re not doing the things you know you should be doing.
- End 2024 understanding yourself a little bit more: Hard-hitting questions to close out the year with a real sense of pride (or at least a clearer path forward).
Short on time? I’ve got you!
Let me read you the article instead! ⬇️
Introduction
I’ll start with this: good advice doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Early on in my speaking career I was regularly told ‘you need a call to action’ - ‘you need to tell people what you want them to do’. And this is indeed good if not great advice for many speakers. But for me, it suited me about as well as wearing spanx to a buffet: uncomfortable, restrictive and just downright wrong.
Because I don’t talk about marketing, business policies or sales - I speak about self-respect.
SELF being the operative word here.
There is NO one nor will there ever be anyone else who knows you better than you.
And heck - in my opinion most people already know what they need to do to build more self-respect. So, instead of me waffling on stage focusing on the 'what and how’ and ‘3 steps to blah blah blah’, I believe the better use of an audience’s time is asking why we don't do the things we know will build more self-respect.
(Thanks to Colin for supporting my argument!)
So to cap off this year - if you’re up for the challenge, I thought I’d share 10 brutally hard open-ended questions for you to peel (ok, rip) off the protective layers of bull$hit and dig deep into the choices you’ve made in 2024.
Because what we really need to figure out is a hard truth: can you say, hand on heart, you’re proud of the person you were in 2024?
Let’s do this! The 10 Questions:
- Who did you secretly envy this year, and what does that reveal about what you truly want?
- What’s one moment in 2024 when you knew you were lying to yourself, and why didn’t you stop?
- What’s one thing you kept pretending wasn’t a problem this year—and what happens if you keep pretending in 2025?
- What’s a risk you avoided in 2024 that you know could have changed everything?
- Who is the one person you disappointed in 2024, and did you have the courage to apologise?
- What’s one thing you kept blaming others for this year that was actually your responsibility?
- If someone could see all your private thoughts from 2024, what would shock them the most—and what does that tell you about yourself?
- What’s one situation this year where you settled for less than you deserved, and what stopped you from walking away?
- Who did you avoid having a tough conversation with in 2024, and what did staying silent cost you?
- If you could give your January 2025 self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Concluding thoughts
As you reflect on these questions, remember that self-respect isn’t something we build overnight. It’s a constant, evolving journey. But the first step is always the hardest: being brutally honest with ourselves.
Answering these questions is about as fun as getting audited, but the benefit is they hold the key to unlocking an evolved version of you. A person who fears less, and achieves more, with dignity, pride and gusto.
To cap things off - here’s a little poem - I hope you like it!
Respect yourself, don't stand in your way,
For a life of purpose and progress each day.
Hold your head high, stay proud and true,
And you'll find strength in all you do.
P.S. If you’d like to download this poem to print out (it’s a direct download, no email needed), you can do so here. It also includes my 7 non-negotiables for self-respect.
