As the year comes to a close, it’s an excellent time to take stock of our experiences in 2020, and consider what we want more of in 2021.
Self-reflection is one of primary ways we can gain insight into ourselves, and is the first step on any path to learning and evolving. I watch people grow through self-reflection in my sessions everyday, as they discover new insight and pivot to live more fully into their potential. Working at their best, they bring others along with them, helping colleagues to become their best selves, too.
I’ve seen small and big changes emerge from reflection:
· Noticing and giving credit to others in a team meeting
· Creating new beliefs about others that changes their interactions for the better
· Letting go and allowing others to step up—creating a more empowering organization
It feels good to see and experience a positive result when trying new things, especially when business performance almost inevitably follows.
It’s not always easy to truly self-reflect: it’s hard to feel, it’s hard to own, it’s hard to slow down and make an intentional change. But to make your reflection time valuable, it is important to go beyond just re-experiencing favorite moments or dreaming about the future, and go deep on analyzing your current beliefs and actions to consider what they mean about who you are and what is important to you. It is that deep reflection about yourself and your experiences that can help you think through what would help you grow as you move forward in the coming year, and beyond.
The following questions can help direct your self-reflection:
How am I feeling?
How do I want to feel?
What do I need to do?
What do I need to address with myself and/or others?
What’s the first step I can take?
For the New Year:
What are you most proud of in 2020?
What did you learn about yourself this year?
What do you want more of?
What do you want to accomplish in 2021?
What are you avoiding that would be good to address?
What should you be doing that you are not doing right now?
How could you help your peers, colleague, or boss more next year?
How do you want to show up?