What does it mean to be a person of reflection?
Nowadays we are all super speeding through life. Who has time to stop and reflect when we are all so busy? Yet, this might be exactly what we need to bounce back stronger than ever before. We need to create a space were we stop and think about our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. We then need to take this information to make better decision and improve our lives. If we try to be 1 % better each day according to Atomic Habits by James Clear we will be 37% better by the end of the year. Now imagine what happens to us if we continue our yearly streak? We will be absolutely amazing!!
How do we practice self-reflection?
We need to constantly be asking ourselves:
- What am I thinking about?
- How am I feeling?
- What am I doing and why am I doing this?
Additionally, we need to reflect often on our strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes people only think about all of the things that are going wrong in their lives. Other times, people think they are doing so great they forget about to look for areas of growth. We need to create a balance by mostly focusing on positive aspects in our lives so we can attract positive things into our lives, but also remain conscious of our areas of weakness or areas of growth.
On a daily and weekly basis, I always ask myself:
- What were my wins for the day/week?
- What did I learn today from my challenges or weakness?
I usually try to mention 3-4 wins for the day/week and 1 new learning for the day/week. This practice allows me to see patterns in my life and gain greater insight into the things that are working and those things that need improvement. This is also a great way to really start taking responsibility of my life by seeing how I am moving forward. It also expands my mindfulness practice because I am constantly aware of how what I am thinking, feeling, and doing while at the same time evaluating what is working and not working. Try some of these questions and see how they help you with your growth and resiliency.
“The unexamined life is not worth living” — Socrates