Make Time For Self-Reflection (And What Happens If You Don’t)
What do you think happens if you don’t make time for self-reflection?
When you don’t reflect, you live in the default state of “more, faster and better”.
Instead of making choices based on your needs, you make them based on the needs of others or what you think others expect of you.
Sure, you’re running super fast, but are you sure you’re still even headed in the right direction?
As the pace of change in our economy accelerates, it’s tempting to go even faster to try to keep up with it.
I’ve discovered the exact opposite to be true for me!
It will be more important than ever to stop and reflect, so we can respond to the change we face in alignment with our values.
Several studies have also shown that those who self-reflect are more productive, less overwhelmed and happier.
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Making time to reflect weekly helps you live more intentionally.
It helps you understand if you’re still running in the right direction or why you are even moving in that particular direction.
Reflection allows you to listen to your inner voice. The voice that knows what you really want.
Ever made a New Year’s resolution, but abandoned it just weeks later?
If you reflect regularly, you will dramatically increase your chances of making the changes you want to make in your life.
Without reflection, it’s easy to give up on your dreams.
If you want to become less distracted, reflect more. Heck, reflect on what’s distracting you from whatever change it is you want to make and how to minimize it!
When you reflect, you give yourself clarity to understand what you really want to change, how you’re going to do it and how you’ll hold yourself accountable.
HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR SELF-REFLECTION
It’s quite possible you’ve never self-reflected because you didn’t know how to do it or you weren’t quite sure what the heck it even meant to “self-reflect.”
I simply regard self-reflection as a check-in conversation with myself to see how everything is going.
It’s really that simple.
You might have thought self-reflection was a luxury. Maybe you thought it was self-centered or selfish.
It isn’t.
If you want to be there for your loved ones, you need to first be there for yourself.
Self-reflection enables you to check in with yourself, so you can hear yourself think.
Learn to practice self-reflection when you enroll in our 12-Week Self-Assessment Challenge.
Here’s what I want you to do:
First, there’s no one right way to self-reflection. Below are merely guidelines to get you started, but do whatever works for you.
#1 Schedule your reflection time on your calendar.
Make this time a priority as you would for the most important people in your life. Think of this time as having a weekly review meeting with yourself.
Try to schedule an hour or so.
Write down a very short list of circumstances that will prevent you from keeping this meeting like:
family emergency
feeling sick
apocalypse
The easiest meeting to cancel is always the one with yourself. Don’t let it be anymore!
If you want to work for yourself, treat yourself like your most important client because you are.
#2 Pick a location that makes you feel relaxed, inspired and has no distractions.
Make sure your darn phone is off while you reflect;)
Enjoy this special hour once a week to let everything settle down and come to a full stop.
This one hour will help you make more intentional use of the other 167 in the course of your week (including sleeping more soundly).
#3 Choose one thing you’d like to reflect on.
If you haven’t reflected before, just sit alone with yourself and let your mind wander. That’s perfectly fine. We don’t sit with ourselves nearly enough anymore!
To make the most of this special time you might want to reflect on:
Anything that’s bugging you.
A feeling you just can’t shake.
An unfulfilled desire.
A challenge you’d like to overcome.
Savor all the accomplishments from your previous week.
A change you’d like to make.
As you are reflecting, it’s tempting to give into the flood of thoughts in your head, but do your best to also feel how you’re feeling.
I believe you’ll also get so much more from your self-reflection time the more you become aware of your feelings.
Your feelings often provide you with a much clearer sense of direction than the chaos of your thoughts.
The stillness and the silence might seem uncomfortable at first, but just sit with it.
The most powerful insights always occur when everything else slows down.
OUR WEEKLY REFLECTION REMINDER
If you’d like a nudge to remind you to reflect each week, please consider signing up for our Weekly Reflection Reminder if you haven’t already.
We send questions, exercises and advice related to creating work that works for you to reflect on throughout the week.
If you need any help getting your reflection practice going, please contact me.
Make time for self-reflection. OK?