What is Reflection & How to Reflect? - Musings on Life Series 15

What is Reflection? 

Reflection is a multi-faceted introspective, iterative & vertical thought process that transforms your self knowledge on what you think and how you think.

Reflection is the key to deeper learning, deeper understanding and self-discovery. Reflecting on experiences and uncovering meaning is an important aspect of learning. Reflecting is a learning that helps us retain every aspect of any experience be it personal or professional. You think deep on why something took place, what the impact was, whether it should happen again instead of just remembering that something happened. It helps to tap into every facet of the experience, clarifying our thinking and honing in on what really matters to us and give you great insights about yourself and others around you.

What to Reflect?                                    

1.    =>  Look back at your past experiences to perform better in the future
=> Consider Strengths, weaknesses, anxieties & errors
=> Gain perspective on your behaviour and emotions
=> Get to think and understand your thoughts and beliefs to rework on removing your liming beliefs.
=> Be aware and observe negative thoughts and negative emotions. Recognize and accept that you are aware, this will unconsciously make you to change your thought process and emotions.

     => The outcome will be your learning from reflection of your past experience makes you to understand what you learnt and what it means for your future.

Pre-requisites for Reflection:

·         Curiosity and openness: A fixed mindset of resistance will hold you back from attaining new knowledge hence approach reflection with a curious mind and be open to learning.

·         Introspection is a thinking and analytical deliberate process. Many of us are caught in the state of reaction & ego and don’t take the time to reflect. Because they are clouded by emotions and don’t see clearly. At the end of our day, when we lay our head down on the pillow, we are stuck in our heads – still deliberating negative thoughts, arguments with our friends, family / coworkers we keep replaying them in our head, constant self-judgement, you are not enough conversations we have back and forth, fear & hopelessness  and then we wake up and do it all over again. Effective introspection requires self awareness and the ability to put aside your ego and your driving need to be always right.

·   The quality of your questions will largely determine the quality of your output from your reflection. If you ask the wrong questions, your reflection may not lead to the insight you seek.

·    Note: Do not blindly accept an explanation you came up with when analysing a situation or experience. You conclusion may be flawed, so be sure to think critically about the answers to your questions and evaluate their merit.

Pic courtesy: google images 

Some Questions to Help You Reflect:

A.   A. What happened?
B.   What were you thinking and feeling?
C.   What was good and bad about the experience?
D.   What sense could you make of the situation?
E.   What else could you have done?
F.    If the same situation happens again, what would you do next time?
G.   What did I learn from the event that I didn’t know before?
H.   What links can I make between my experience & other events from my workplace?

 

Reflective questions for Entrepreneurs:

1.    1. What is working for your business?
2.    What is not working for your business?
3.    What would you like to change about your business?
4.    What accomplishments have you achieved?
5.    What lessons have you learnt from this experience or previous experiences?
6.    Are the goals still right goals?
7.    How might you be sabotaging your own success?
8.    What do you need to start doing, keep doing and stop doing?
9.    What do you still need to know or learn?
10.  Have you empowered your team? Have your first line leaders empowered their teams?
11. Whats next?
12. What are your top 3 biggest beliefs that you have been able / you want  to shift this year?
13. What were the top 3 challenges you faced in your business journey, how did you navigate them and what did you learn from them?
14. What advice would you give yourself a year ago now that you are standing here today?
15. What goals did you miss that are still important to you? What do you believe prevented you from achieving them? What can you do differently going forward?

 

It is difficult to reflect and learn if your mind is racing and wandering about. Setting aside time to think in quiet, or meditate, can give you the time you need to contemplate what you learned from an experience. This is a time to engage in self-talk and ask yourself questions. You could do this while sitting at home, out on a walk, or any place you find comfortable.

If you feel yourself spinning when trying to think through a situation in your head, consider talking it through with someone else. They can help take an external view, ask you questions, and work through the reflective process with you.

Thoughts can sometimes feel like a jumbled mess in your head. They can feel fleeting and turn from crystal clear to fuzzy in an instant. Writing things down can give substance to your thoughts and allow you to more clearly separate the experience from your analysis. Try writing down what you learned from an experience or record process steps so you can see them laid out in front of you.

 A beautiful quote by Margaret J Wheatley “Without reflection we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences and failing to achieve anything useful”. As John C Maxwell says “Reflective thinking turns experience into insights”

Reflection is executive functioning. True courageous reflection galvanizes your willpower. It promotes continuous self-awareness, empowers you, ensures you are valued, and gives you the self-awareness you need to quicken achieving your full potential.