What do you see what you look in the mirror? Yourself. That is a physical reflection. Easy of course. Requiring much more effort, but with much greater reward, is emotional self-reflection. It’s all about assessing yourself through a reflective lens.
You’re thinking about how you act, the words that you use, and the decisions that you make. Why is that something that you should do? Well, it’s important, there are plenty of benefits, and ultimately, you can use it to become a better person.
Self-Reflection is Important
Self-reflection allows you to take a look at yourself honestly and make improvements. You’re asking questions of yourself and encouraging yourself to do better. Why do you do the things that you do, why do you act in certain ways, is there a better way to do things?
You can self-reflect in any area of your life, whether it’s your personal relationships, working life or elsewhere. Self-reflection is a major part of the learning process in life. If you found a recipe and it didn’t turn out well, would you use the exact same one as is? No, you would tweak it and make changes to make sure it’s better. That’s what self-reflection is. Without this learning, it’s easy to fall into a routine, whether it works or not.
Consider asking yourself the following questions to kick off your journey of self-reflection:
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- What are your skills?
- What problems do you face?
- What have you achieved?
- What makes you happy?
- What makes you unhappy?
- How can you solve the issues that you face?
It might seem challenging to sit down and go through these questions. It might even seem as though it’s embarrassing or even a bit selfish. It’s not something that comes naturally to most people. However, it will be much more comfortable the more you practice. For the most part, you have just been pushing on in life, but there’s no mindful reflection.
Your job is draining you of energy; you’re stressed out by maintaining friendships and relationships. You’re always tired; you are constantly frustrated, and deeply unhappy. You’re like a hamster in a wheel. Self-reflection is a tool for breaking that habit. It’s jumping off the wheel.
Why Bother?
Yet, this is what we do… at least, it’s what so many of us are doing. We just keep walking through life doing what we’ve always done, hoping things will turn out differently. What do you do when something doesn’t go well at work?
Chances are you look at the situation to figure out where it went wrong so you can avoid repeating your mistakes. Is that what you do in life? It’s what we should be doing in life; it’s what self-reflection is.
Ultimately, self-reflection can help you remain focused on the big picture. It’s easy to get bogged down in the detail and caught up in the complexities of life. The entire purpose of it is to ensure that you’re in sync with your values, your vision, and your goals.
It’s particularly important if you don’t yet know what your goals, vision or values are, or can’t concisely define them. Self-reflection flips the switch and forces you to redirect your brain to focus on essentials.
We should look at self-reflection as an opportunity to grow. It helps boost confidence, it allows you to live a life of integrity, one that aligns with your values, and it pushes you to do better. There is power in self-reflection. It’s liberating.
If you want to gain a greater understanding of yourself, expand your horizons, and ultimately reach your potential, then self-reflection is a must. It might not come naturally, but it doesn’t for most, so, with a bit of practice you will see improvement in no time.
