KEY TAKEAWAY: A life review is a powerful tool for gaining clarity, acceptance, and purpose, no matter your age or stage in life. By reflecting on your past with intention, you can uncover valuable lessons, celebrate your strengths, and identify meaningful goals for the future. Taking the time to explore your story is a gift that can inspire the next chapter of your journey. Scroll down to the TAKE ACTION section for this week’s actionable steps.

It’s December 28th, and soon we will say goodbye to 2024 and welcome in 2025. 

As the year draws to a close, many of us naturally reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. But have you ever considered doing a life review—a structured look back to gain clarity and direction?

A life review is more than a casual reflection. It’s an intentional process of examining your past experiences, challenges, and joys to better understand your journey. 

While this practice is often associated with later stages of life or facing a terminal illness, it can be transformative at any age. In psychology, it’s even used therapeutically to foster acceptance and growth.

Why do a life review?

William Damon, a professor at Stanford University and a leading scholar on human development, outlines three key benefits of a life review: 

1. Acceptance of the events and choices that have shaped our lives
2. A deepened understanding of who we are
3. Greater clarity on the direction we should take moving forward. 

Studies support these benefits, showing that a life review can:

• Improve self-esteem.
• Foster a sense of personal mastery.
• Enhance our self-perceived quality of life.
• Increase life satisfaction.
• Reduce symptoms of depression and PTSD.
• Cultivate a greater sense of life meaning.

Apparently, Jane Fonda agrees. Before she turned 60 (she’s now 87), she completed a life review and said it “totally changed the way I thought about myself and about how I wanted to live the last third of my life.” Her most surprising takeaway? She said that she discovered “I’m brave.”

However, a life review is not just about looking back but also looking forward. 

A life review can remind us that life is not finite, so what do we want for our lives? In the next year? In the years ahead?

Asking that question is something that can support us as we continue on our life journey, for whatever length of time that may be because not only can it help us identify our goals but also help us to avoid regret. 

How to Conduct a Life Review

While there’s no single “right” way to do a life review, here are steps to guide you: 

Step 1: Choose how you want to conduct your life review. 

You can go the professional route and hire a guide. There are “autobiographical counselors” who can guide you.

Alternatively, you can choose to do a DIY life review solo or with a friend or family member (you can take turns interviewing each other).

Step 2: Set a timeframe.

One, for the time period of your life you want to focus on. Do you want to review your overall life up to this point or focus on a specific period? For example, your childhood, your adolescence, or your adulthood?

Two, for the life review itself. Your life review doesn’t need to be completed in one hour. How long do you want to give it? An hour? Two hours? Two days? A week? A few months?

Step 3: Create your list of questions.

Whether you prefer to go solo or with another person (or persons), the point is to ask questions that, according to Jodi Wellman, a speaker, author, and facilitator on living lives worth living, will help you make sense of your life journey, acknowledge your accomplishments, and find closure with unresolved issues.

Some questions I find particularly poignant include the following:

• What moments in your life have brought you the greatest joy?
• What challenges have shaped you the most, and how did you overcome them?
• If you could relive one day from your past, which one would it be and why?
• What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life?
• What values have guided your decisions and actions?
• What regrets, if any, do you have, and what have they taught you?
• What are some pivotal decisions that changed the course of your life?
• What parts of your life would you like to explore further or rekindle?
• How have your beliefs or spirituality influenced your life journey?
• If you could give advice to your younger self, what would you say?

However, there are many more, so you can identify what most resonates with you and how you want to conduct your life review. 

Get other ideas using these resources:

• Great Questions by StoryCorps.org
• Questions for Different Stages of Your Life by Legacy Project (you can also buy a Life Interview Kit by Legacy Project for $9.50 at the time of this writing)

Step 4: Record your answers.

Decide how you want to document your reflections. You can journal, record voice memos, create video diaries, or even use Zoom to capture your thoughts in conversation. 

Step 5: Reflect.

After completing your life review, take time to reflect on what surfaced. What surprised you? What themes emerged? What resonated most deeply?

Here are some questions to guide your reflection:

• What surprised you the most about your life review?
• What themes or patterns stood out to you in your answers?
• What emotions surfaced most frequently during your review?
• How has your perspective on your past changed after this process?
• What aspects of your life are you most grateful for now?
• Are there areas of your life you feel are unfinished or unresolved?
• What priorities or goals have become clearer to you?
• What would you like to let go of as you move forward?
• What strengths or qualities have served you well in life?
• What actions or changes do you feel inspired to take now?
• What lessons or experiences do you want to pass on to others?
• What role does forgiveness (of yourself or others) play in your next chapter?
• How can you live more aligned with your values starting today? 

Final Thoughts

As we prepare to welcome 2025, a life review can help us pause, reflect, and gain clarity about where we’ve been and where we want to go. It’s not just about looking back but also about shaping the future with intention. 

Whether you uncover unexpected strengths, rekindle forgotten dreams, or find peace with past challenges, a life review can be a transformative step toward living a life that feels meaningful to you. 

So, as you reflect this year, why not gift yourself the time to explore your life story—and the next chapter you wish to write?

TAKE ACTION:

Start Your Life Review in 5 Steps

1. Choose Your Approach:
   Decide whether to do your life review solo, with a trusted friend or family member, or with the guidance of a professional counselor.

2. Set Your Timeframe:
   Define the period of your life you want to focus on (e.g., childhood, adulthood, or your entire journey). Schedule dedicated time to conduct the review, whether over a weekend, a month, or in multiple sessions.

3. Create Your Questions:
   Select meaningful prompts that resonate with you. Tailor them to reflect what you want to uncover.

4. Document Your Reflections:
   Use a method that feels natural to you, such as journaling, recording voice memos, or creating videos to capture your thoughts and stories in detail.

5. Reflect and Plan Your Next Steps:
   Analyze recurring themes, surprising insights, and areas for growth, and use your insights to set intentional goals and create a clearer, more meaningful path forward.

Notes:

Butler, R. N. (1963). Life Review: An Interpretation of Reminiscence in the Aged. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 26(1), 65–76.

Glamour.com. Jane Fonda, Then and Now. Retrieved from https://www.glamour.com/story/jane-fonda-cover-story

NiceNews.com. The Transformative Power of a Life Review, Whether You’re 25 or 75. Retrieved from https://nicenews.com/humanity/transformative-power-life-review/

StoryCorps.org. https://storycorps.org/participate/great-questions/

SV Bosak, Legacy Project, www.legacyproject.org

Westerhof, G. J., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2014). Celebrating the Past and Future: Reminiscence Therapy as an Intervention for Depression in Older Adults. Clinical Psychology Review, 34(1), 85–92.

IMPORTANT: The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have regarding the topics discussed here as the topics discussed are based on general principles and may not be applicable to every individual. 

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