The first month of the year has gone by just like that. How was your 1/12? Your 31/365? How are you showing up in 2019 so far? What new risks have you taken? Which opportunities have you said yes to?
We tend to let the year go without checking in with ourselves, many of us leave reflection at the end of the year, we see it as the perfect time of the year to look back and reflect on what we did right and to learn from what didn’t exactly go the way we had planned.
This year I would like to challenge you, to make reflection a daily habit, I believe it is a part of the formula to success.
At least once a day, usually in the evening, I reflect on the 24 hours that have gone by, on my life in general, on what I’ve been doing right and what isn’t working. I think of the people I interacted with during the day, could I have been kinder? or more present? I reflect on each aspect of my life and this allows for continuous improvement.
If we don’t make time to reflect on our mistakes, we may find ourselves repeating them. However, with a little reflection we can prevent them in the future and turn negatives into positives. This gives us the opportunity to turn mistakes into valuable learning tools, instead of something to feel shameful or guilty about.
When I reflect on an accomplishment or a success, I think about what led to that success, what it means to me and I like to celebrate it in some kind of way, which I believe encourages more success.
Reflecting on your successes allows you to celebrate life, It brings you to the realisation of how much you’ve done right and the good things you have achieved in your life. Without reflection, it’s easy to forget these things, and focus on failures and regret.
Often we are caught up in the stress or busy-ness of our daily lives. A mistake at the office or a fight with a loved one can seem like the end of the world. Situations like that can overwhelm us sometimes. But if we take a minute to step back, and reflect and gain some perspective, in the grand scheme of things they don’t mean all that much, this sense of perspective can calm us down and lower our stress levels. We gain clarity, and enter the space of gratitude.
The best part about reflection is sharing what you learn with others going through the same things.Over the years I have learned just how powerful that is. I began 2019 with the hope that some of the things I’ve learned in the past couple years can motivate others and that is what I hope to do with this
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* The author is a consultant and coach. Instagram handle: @miss_shefa, Website: missshefa.com
Shefa Ali
