The Importance of Reflection

Would you like to be more productive and have more peace?  Then, the art of reflection just might be something that you would benefit from trying.  If you aren’t already in the habit of reflecting, it may take some practice to get into a routine and find a place to fit it into your schedule.  However, the benefits may more than save you the time that it you put in to doing it and may even save you time as you contemplate future actions that may produce more efficiency.

Reflection is the skill presidents have used when they’ve documented their days in office in their journals, what Biblical writers have done in penning Scriptures, what moms do when they make a photo album of their child’s special moments or a vacation, and what people do whenever big life events happen and hit the “pause” button on the busyness of everyday work and to-do list items.  Yet, it’s a powerful tool that you can use whenever you decide to.

Reflection allows space between events, people, and thoughts to gain a broader perspective.

Reflection helps us to take a step back and explore our thoughts and feelings on a deeper level, to decide how we feel about things, to consider how we impacted others or the situations in our lives, and to decide how we would like to change, improve, or proceed in the future.  It is a way to gain perspective and insight.

It is a tool that allows us to consider our impact on things and others as well as how we’ve been impacted by them.  It lets us take stock, assess, and regroup so that we can go forward in healthy ways rather than traveling down an unknown path in an unexamined hurry.

3 Steps to Practice Powerful Reflection

1) Choose Your Time and Your Tools: What time of day will work for you, what day of the week, for how long?  Paper Journal, an audio diary recording, a phone app, processing with a spouse or colleague, etc…

2) Choose Your Focus: A Relationship, A Circumstance, An Event, A Pain Point, A Perspective You Aren’t Sure If You Agree with or Not.

3) Ask Effective Questions:

For example: 

What am I pleased with?

What am I not pleased with?

What went well and, why?

What do I want to see happen, and how?

Written by guest blogger Michelle Croyle