Time to self-reflect

Fitter. Happier. More productive. You might recognize this from somewhere, but for me it sounds a lot like my own voice robotically reciting these words, chasing the next thing, dissatisfied until I get there. I need to make more money. I need to be successful at this. I need to look and feel better. Thoughts like these propel me forward with little questioning or challenging. When I get this, I’ll be happy. And then what? It’s on to the next.

I know – we’re all just supposed to enjoy the journey. Believe me, I’d love to. But it’s hard sometimes. And harder especially when the journey isn’t heading toward a place we want to be, or even any place in particular.

When the thoughts in our heads continue to blindly move us forward, and when the days get so full and tiring that we can’t stop to pause and breathe and think, we limit our ability to self-reflect. Specifically on where we are, where we’re going, and how to reduce the gap between them. We do some self-reflection organically – you might learn from a mistake at work when a manager corrects you, or you know to avoid certain situations that are stressful for you. But on the whole, we’re just not that good at self-reflecting. Especially when we don’t give ourselves the time!

So I have a few questions for you. How much are you self-reflecting on your path? On your progress toward your goals? What your goals actually are? Or – a little deeper – why and if they are actually meaningful to you? What you’re good at and what you want to be good at?

Self-reflection is one of those superpowers we all possess, but rarely deliberately tap. It takes energy, it can take time, and once you know it, you can’t unknow it. Example: if you realized your calling was one direction, but you continued to stay where you are, every moment, day, and year would grind against that knowledge. Guess what happens then?

We feel stuck, that life is tedious, and that things are stagnant. We wait for the new thing to kick in or fall into our laps. We expect things to change but aren’t sure exactly how or if it will necessarily be better. We are a victim to the day-in, day-out of our lives. This is autopilot: slogging through life one set of weekdays at a time. I don’t know how many times I’ve told myself I just need to get through the next two weeks. And then what?

This is what I love to help people grapple with. If you’ve been on autopilot for too long now, I can’t recommend working with a coach enough. And, really, I can’t recommend working with me enough. Self-reflection is laid in the foundation of coaching. My process is designed to poke at the correct angles to get you thinking differently, and my 1:1 personal coaching sessions are tailored to get you off autopilot so you can be living a life that matters to you. You can learn more about my process here on my site, and easily schedule a free consultation if you’d like to learn more.

Go get ‘em this week.