Why do some people continuously struggle their entire lives, while others effortlessly and successfully move from one difficulty to another; making the most of every situation that comes their way? Well, it might just have something to do with the little talked about mental skill of self-reflection.
Those who struggle simply do not take the time to learn from their experience in order to make the necessary adjustments to improve their results. It’s really as simple as that! While those who have overcome the greatest odds are the one’s who do a tremendous amount of soul searching. This helps them to put all their experiences into perspective, which further allows them to make better choices and decisions. In other words, they take the time to learn from their experiences, and this helps them adjust their course of action moving forward.
People who continuously struggle to overcome setbacks and adversity often dig their own graves with blame, shame, guilt, and a plethora of complaints that keep them stuck and unable to move forward. It is essential to be aware and recognise how and where you are getting stuck, and begin turning things around. And, all this starts with getting into the regular habit of partaking in the ritual of a self-reflection.
Self-reflection is an empowering ritual that allows you to think back on what has been in order to learn valuable lessons that can help you optimize your efforts and skill sets. Regular periods of self-reflection effectively allow you to learn from your failures, mistakes and experiences; clarify your values, priorities and strengths; release emotional attachment to people, things and events; gain deeper insights into your thoughts and a vast array of experiences; expand your perspective and understanding of people and situations, and respond calmly and appropriately to challenges that may have otherwise hindered your progress.
You need to take some quiet time daily thinking and reflecting upon yourself and upon the events, people and circumstances of your life. This will involve looking at your day objectively and asking yourself a series of questions that can help you to better understand what happened, why things happened that way, and what you can learn from these experiences to make more optional choices tomorrow. A typical self-reflection session will involve reflecting on the day’s events and circumstances. This, of course, would include assessing how you deal with or respond to those events, people and circumstances, followed by what you have learned and how you plan to use these lessons to make tomorrow better.
The process of self-reflection goes hand-in-hand with mindfulness and observation. Self-reflection typically takes place after hours, however this period of reflection is based on the day’s events and circumstances. Hence, the more attuned and mindful you are of what is happening around you throughout the day, the more valuable insights you will gather during your daily self-reflection time. Another form of self-reflection comes through other people. Regularly asking other people for their feedback and opinion about you and about the various events and circumstances of your life can provide you with valuable insights that can lead to positive changes.
