In our fast-paced careers and lives, it’s common for people to get lost in the days, weeks and even months. My opinion on this is because majority of the people rarely take the time to pause, reflect and evaluate what they have done.
I love to engage in new opportunities, be it in my personal life or as part of a work force, but I also like to have personal and quality time with the people I choose to include in my life. To make sure I stay connected despite my ever busy schedules, I set aside time for self-reflection.
How Do I Self-Reflect?
As I am now in the 2nd half of year 2018, I will spend time asking myself the following questions;
- What made this year good? Bad?
- Did I achieve everything I set out to?
- What did I do well?
- Where did I falter?
- What do I want to change for next year?
By honestly asking my inner self, it helps me to re-enact the experiences I had over the last few months or even the past few years. This also benefits me to make sure I have me-time to be in touch with the deep part of my soul, so I can be better for the people I care about.
Benefits of Self Reflection
I would like to share my opinions of the benefits that I have gathered over the years by constantly setting aside time for self-reflection:
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Being positive
I am a very positive person. Positivity to me is important for managing a complex life that includes meeting career, family, community and self needs. The more you reflect on your strengths and how you can build upon them, the more positive and confident you will be in the future. We become more confident in where our strengths lie and how to close the gaps in our areas of weakness.
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Acting with Integrity
Our integrity is often put to the test during bad or stressful times. Taking time to review your actions in the recent past and evaluating them against your core values is critical to acting with integrity. Without structure you can end up anywhere. I keep my own set of rules to guide me. Then, I can assess whether I am following them or how deviation has led me off track. Doing this consistently can solidify your values and make the decision making process easier in the future.
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Strengthening your inner self
When taking time to self-reflect, you are looking within yourself. This helps to build two very important aspects. First is self-positioning: it gives you the ability to understand your emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals, and recognize their impact on others.
Second is self-regulation: this involves the ability to control or readdress your disruptive emotions and adapt to changing circumstances. These skills will definitely improve both your personal life and also your professional role in your organization.
My End, Your Beginning
I would like to thank everyone who spent their time to read through my writing, and I strongly believe that everyone has a hand for their own destiny, even if we don’t have total control.
By keeping aside time for self-reflection, even just thinking through who I wish to be in 10 years’ time is helpful for making decisions that lead me down a preferred path.
This is “My End” and I hope that if you have not done any self-reflecting thus far, it will now be “Your Beginning”.