“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”
― Margaret Wheatley
If there’s somewhere you want to go you have to steer in that direction. Reflection is how we keep our eyes on the road and our hands on the wheel of our lives; it’s the compass that guides us to our intended destination.
Without reflection we fail to notice critical information about ourselves and our lives. This lack of awareness generates a reactive state in which we feel as though we are constantly responding to crisis, life is happening to us rather than for us, and nothing is within our control. It stymies our attempts to put a brake on the chaos and maintain a sense of direction. We fail to keep our agreements, deadlines are missed, important obligations go unmet, and our intimate connection with self is lost.
When we take time each day to reflect we regain a sense of control, purpose, and connection. Reflection is an investment in our most important relationship; it’s how we nurture a deeply intimate connection to self. When we are in a state of connection with our inner selves we are imbued with purpose and knowledge of our mission. Reflection puts us in touch with and prioritizes our inner voice. When we begin to truly listen to and trust our own inner wisdom we can begin to accept it’s guidance. Being guided by our inner wisdom allows us to live a life of purpose on purpose; we can now invest our personal resources intentionally rather than reactively and life begins to unfold for us in new and unexpected ways.
Reflection allows us to find clarity about what is arising for us in our current circumstances. That clarity gives us insight into what we need more of and what we need to let go of. It reveals to us our own resistance, the beliefs that we are holding that keep us from taking bold action, it shines a light into the darkest corners and forces us to confront our shadows and fears. We gain awareness of who we need to become in order to achieve our goals and manifest our dreams. Having clarity about where we are, where we are going, and who we need to become to get there empowers us to take action and make choices that align with our aspirations.
As we deepen our reflective practice it becomes integrated into our way of being. We begin to make decisions more intuitively because we are more aware of what is aligned with our vision for ourselves and our lives. We begin to make micro adjustments and course corrections automatically. We’ve drawn a clear map by acquiring an intimate knowledge of what matters most to us, what we value, and what we will and won’t do in order to succeed. This new, intuitive level of self awareness generates a sense of ease in keeping to our intended path.
As we learn through reflection to navigate life more accurately by following the compass of our inner voice we develop a deeper appreciation for all that is unfolding for us. We begin to see the abundance that is available to us and any perceived lack is greatly diminished. The world is suddenly ripe with opportunity. We experience overwhelming gratitude and life now is happening for us rather than to us. We can release our attachment to outcomes because we’ve learned that the quality of the journey is far more meaningful than the destination.
The importance of reflection to personal growth and success cannot be overstated. It’s the key to unlocking our full potential, achieving our desired outcomes, and becoming who we need to be to live the fullest measure. The human condition is simply that we are always in a state of becoming; reflection empowers us by allowing us to consciously choose who we become.
Some deepening questions to consider as you reflect:
- Are you taking time each day for reflection?
- How are you deepening your practice?
- Is there a way to improve your practice right now?
- Are you connecting to gratitude and abundance?
- What’s arising for you in this moment?
- What’s holding you back?
- What are you resisting?
- Where can you shine a little more light?
- Who will you choose to become?