Tapping into the Power of Reflection

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Soren Kierkegaard

Living forward is a mindset that occurs in the now. You do realize now is the only moment that you have in which to live, right? You can’t live in the past. Too many have tried, none have succeeded. Nor can you live in the future. But the past can be a window into the future.[clickToTweet tweet="You can review the past to inform what you do now to obtain a more desirable result in the future. " quote="You can review the past to inform what you do now to obtain a more desirable result in the future."]See how that works?Socrates added,

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Your life is worth living, isn’t it?Since you (and me) only have one life to live. And, you want to make your life count (I believe you do or you would not be reading this), then do yourself a favor, carve out some time for reflection and examine your life.And just in case you are one of those living life in the fast lane, who doesn’t have time to slow down, even for a moment. Let me remind you of the wise words from Gandhi, “Speed is irrelevant if you’re going in the wrong direction.”

Yes, But How?

As with so many things in life, there is not one best way to approach reflection. Adopt an explorer’s approach and try several options until you find what works best for you. Recently, I asked members of the Living Your WHY Community about their personal practices or places for reflection. Several mentioned journaling as their preferred practice. Some keep a gratitude journal. Others create a daily list of things for which they are grateful. I journal. Almost every day. For part of my journaling, I use a list of questions. Yes, the same questions as a guide for daily journaling. The first question is, “What do I choose to celebrate from yesterday?” You can always find something to celebrate, even on the worst of days — which don’t happen often, but when they do, they pass and today is a new day. ‘Choose to celebrate’ is a deliberate word choice. Celebration is a choice. A mindset.Other reflective practices shared by LYW members included taking daily outdoor walks. For some, like Jean-Marc, it’s a daily hike up the mountain. Others mentioned walking around the lake, through the woods, and for some, it was just in their neighborhood. Wherever you are going, carving out some time to get away from the distractions and noise of daily life will usually help you reflect.

When is a Good Time to Reflect?

You could incorporate reflection as a daily practice. Or, you might choose to adopt some periodic reviews: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual reviews. You can mix and match multiple types of reviews for different times and purposes.Perhaps you reflect on the highlights of a period of time to assess your progress towards a goal. You might conduct daily reviews to monitor your progress towards incorporating a new habit or ensure you are living in harmony with your values. All are helpful. You might find it useful to pause for a review after significant events — regardless of the outcome. After-action reviews are beneficial to analyze what led to the success of an event. Or to consider the learning moments when things don’t go as well as you had hoped. Learning moments is a label for mistakes I got from my friend, Garry Ridge.

How Will You Benefit?

Your results may vary. I know it sounds like the fine print from an investment prospectus or commercial for a weight loss program, but it is true. Results will vary and will increase as you continue your commitment to reflection.Here’s a short list of what you might experience:

• Gain perspective on events and more quickly put things into perspective.
• Detect patterns. Honing this skill may even allow you to predict results.
• Manage your emotions.
• Learn from mistakes.
• Recognize areas where you have grown.
• Generate new options and ideas.
• Get a new job. Say what?

Recently, I had a conversation with Jason as he was wrapping up a year-long leadership development program that had introduced him to Servant Leadership and reflection. He shared how incorporating reflection into his life was the single best change he made through the program. It even resulted in a new job. Why? Because he spent time reflecting on how he approached the interview and changed his approach. Bingo!It also resulted in spending more time with his family, better relationships at work, less time at work (the new job has a cap on hours), and unlimited vacation. Remember, your results may vary, but Jason’s results should inspire you to incorporate reflection into your life.

When Will You Begin?

[clickToTweet tweet="Now is the best time! In truth, now is the only time." quote="Now is the best time! In truth, now is the only time."]Start now. Pause, right now, and ask yourself a question, “What do I choose to celebrate?” Or, “What did I learn?”Schedule time for regular reflection. Choose whether daily, weekly, or monthly are best for you right now. Put it on your calendar. How you have benefitted from meditation? Or, if you are new to reflection, what is your goal for reflection?[convertkit form=4929748]