Self-reflection appears to be a vanishing art form. People either believe they lack the time or believe it is a waste of time. Others are afraid to stare at themselves in the eyes, long and hard. This is a mistake, because there is so much to learn about yourself and your past by doing so.
Self-reflection has a number of benefits that might make life easier:
1. You get knowledge about yourself. The majority of people have astonishingly low levels of self-awareness. Some people are overworked, or at least believe they are. Others would rather be distracted than spend a single second in self-reflection.
- However, taking a few minutes each day to reflect on your day, the decisions you made, the positives and drawbacks can teach you a lot.
- When you know who you are, you can build better plans that take use of your strengths while avoiding your flaws.
- Recognizing and coping with your flaws is a valuable tool. You don’t have to keep shooting yourself in the foot.
2. You get knowledge from your past experiences. If you examine your life’s worst blunders, you’ll notice that they’re surprisingly similar. You may have overspent, gotten connected with someone you shouldn’t have, or made unwise judgments in order to get away from difficult conditions.
- You’ve repeated these errors if you’ve never taken the time to review them.
- Reviewing the past can also assist you in identifying what works, allowing you to benefit from repeating those behaviors.
3. Act with forethought and intelligence. Many people are action-oriented and avoid “waste” time by over-thinking. Spending some time thinking and strategizing, rather than diving in with both feet, can be really beneficial.
- Consider what you really want to achieve for yourself. Ask yourself a few questions and make good use of the answers.
Graham Gibbs is a researcher who focuses on self-reflection. To help with self-reflection, he devised a six-step approach. This procedure might serve as a guide to assist you in getting into the swing of things.
Examine your past and present using Mr. Gibbs’ method:
1. What exactly happened? This is a straightforward procedure. Make a mental note of what happened. “I didn’t finish college.”
2. What was going through my mind and heart? What were your thoughts back then? What were your thoughts following that? “I was under duress and failing.” When I first dropped out, I felt relieved, but soon after, I felt dread and was lost.”
3. What did you like or dislike about the experience? “I was given more leisure time and my tension was alleviated.” But now I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life, and my career possibilities are significantly less.”
4. How does this impact other aspects of my life? What does it tell about my personality? “My personal and professional growth is inhibited. My partner is angry with me and has threatened to leave. My parents ejected me from the house and urged me to seek employment. This implies that I am impulsive and have a difficult time dealing with stress.”
5. Was there anything else I could have done? ” I had a conversation with a friend. I told my teachers about it. I enlisted the services of a professional. Learned how to meditate or do yoga. My course load has been reduced.”
6. What would I do if this happened again? “I’d think about the long-term consequences rather than just the short-term ones.” I’d get the assistance I require. I don’t believe quitting is a feasible choice.”
Self-reflection is a valuable tool that may be learned and used for free. Imagine being able to maximize your skills, minimize your shortcomings, and avoid making the same mistakes over and over again.
You may put those traumatic situations from your past to good use. Every day, set aside a few minutes to practice self-reflection. You’ll be pleased with the outcome.
