As the year winds down, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on successes and challenges of the past year. The most worthwhile reflection is when we consider our actions, beliefs and values with the goal of making improvements for the future. It is a time when we sort through past experiences, consider different perspectives, and in the process gain a better understanding of ourselves. The act of reflecting combines curiosity, unflinching honesty, and vulnerability. It may not always be comfortable to take such a deep inward dive, yet the valuable insights you gain and the opportunity for growth make introspection well worth it.
As a business leader aspiring to be your best both professionally and personally, building a habit of reflection into your life can help you become more self-aware, improve your relationships, and sharpen your effectiveness. In examining experiences you gain a better understanding of why something happened the way that it did, how you could have done things differently, and how your actions may have impacted others. Carving out the time for serious introspection offers immeasurable benefits.
Sharpen Your Focus
In order to think carefully and seriously about something, you have to slow down. Creating space in your life for reflection offers you the opportunity to disengage from everything demanding your attention, untangle your mind from the pressing matters of your day, and spend time thinking about your recent projects, performance, decisions, and challenges.
Become More Consistent
Are your actions lining up with your values? You might not realize the ways you’re undermining your own goals and values unless you pause and think things through. Regular time for reflection gives you the opportunity to make your actions and values more consistent with each other.
Learn from Your Mistakes
Mistakes do happen, but a repeat of them can be avoided when you take the time to reflect on the circumstances surrounding them. Ask yourself questions about what happened, what contributed to the mistake happening, what could have been done differently, and what you would do differently in the future. Reflecting on mistakes turns them into a valuable tool for learning.
Generate New Ideas
Reflecting on the events of the day, the progress of a project, or the dynamics of your team can help you think of new ideas to improve any of these areas. Once you’ve sifted through all of the feelings and consequences of something, it creates space and room for new ideas to emerge.
Consider Different Interpretations
Handling something as you always have may not be the best for a particular situation. Reflection allows you to look at the uniqueness of a circumstance and consider new factors and perspectives so you can choose the best path going forward.
If taking time for reflection sounds like a good idea to you, we encourage you to reach out to 100Ninjas about our Virtual Assistant services. Let a Virtual Assistant handle some of your workload so that you have time to begin this important practice!
Founder at 100Ninjas.
Bananagram Master. Smoothie Mixologist. Seeker of the cozy. Art lover.