…Reflect.
I believe most of us are wired for 2 of the 3. When I got a journal for Christmas, my aversive reaction affirmed the obvious. I don’t like to reflect.
According to Myers Briggs, half our mental functions are conscious, half are subconscious. The subconscious ones are unnatural for you. They drain energy from you. They operate like a shadow, a critic, a trickster — even a demon. For me, reflecting fits those 4 descriptions.
But the rhythm of life is missed if you ignore any of the 3. The rhythm of life is harnessed if you cultivate each of the 3.
One of my favorite questions to ask is “when are you at your best?” I love watching people’s faces when they stop to think – and REFLECT – about it. Something changes, like Miss Lang in Mr. Holland’s Opus when he asks her what she likes best about herself when she looks in the mirror and she replies “her red hair, because her father says it reminds him of the sunset.”
So if you’re sitting somewhere like me trying to jumpstart your 2018 and transition from the holidays, give yourself the gift of time and reflect on 2017 before you move on. When were you at your best? What did it result in? How did it feel? Write. Reflect. Write some more. Don’t just make it about work – remember, OPUS is about work and life. And you don’t have to do it alone – just writing this I realized a lot of what I miss in my relationship with God is because I don’t ask him to help me — especially with what’s unnatural.
Every year is filled with joy & pain – some of it chosen some of it not. Don’t miss the chance to celebrate the victories. Much of the power of reflecting is it quantifies the achievements, the breakthroughs, the learnings, the transitions, the victories and the re-realization life matters.
This kind of reflecting is inspiring as you honor the past. The greatest leaders and greatest cultures honor the past, celebrate the present and plan for the future.
Reflecting helps you to re-solve, not resolve. In looking at just a few of the highlights from 2017 I just got an energy boost thinking about the possibilities for 2018 – which I’m capturing on my “dream” list.
Dream, do & reflect. Together we improve.
BUILT TO LEAD 