Besides a mirror, what do you use for reflection?
I journaled when something felt ‘big’
In high school, I discovered that if I was wrestling with something or simply felt down but didn’t know why, then putting a pen to paper seemed to help. I would write my train of thought. And eventually, it would reveal a truth or a solution that hadn’t occurred to me before – at least not consciously.
That’s what I thought journaling was. I did it when something felt big.
Then I tried a daily gratitude practice
A few years ago though, I started a daily gratitude practice. I wrote at least three ways that the previous day was a version of living my best life. And… I wrote at least three ways in which it wasn’t.
The premise was that I could gradually better define what living my best life meant. I thought I was gathering data, that would eventually reveal some patterns, and guide some future decisions.
Duh, I wasn’t researching, I was reflecting!
Over a great dinner of Thai food, in Bangkok, I was explaining my daily practice to a friend. That’s when I noticed that not once had I gone back to look at any of my entries. So clearly it wasn’t about gathering data!
I suddenly realized what I had truly been doing.
I was reflecting. I was ensuring that I was regularly pausing to observe my life, my thoughts, my experiences, and my goals. I was giving myself space to just breathe and check my pace and my priorities.
I could look at my friend and tell him with complete confidence that every day, for many months, had had at least three beautiful things in it. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t list them. Just knowing that they existed was a gift.
And even knowing that every day has had room for improvement, offers some grace for whatever setbacks and frustrations are currently present. It’s all part of the balance.
So many ways to do and benefit from self-reflections
In Bangkok, I was writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. But there are so many ways to do reflections:
- Recording an audio message
- Making a video
- Sketching images
- Taking photographs
- Capturing songs
- Writing bullet points on sticky notes
Every method offers the power of self-reflection, and self-reflection is integral to personal growth and professional development.
Give ‘journaling’ or reflection a new try
So here’s an exercise to help you strengthen your reflection muscle:
- Today, pick a reflection method. Perhaps it’s one you haven’t tried before.
- Every day this week, capture at least three self-observations. Maybe it’s emotions you feel, or accomplishments you’re proud of.
- At the end of the week, notice when it was easy and when it was hard to pause, observe, record, and reflect. And notice how you feel as you review what you captured.
