Reflection

Reflection; a word I've been hearing more and more. Something I thought was a luxury afforded to those super organised high achievers. The more I try to understand what reflection is, how it can be used and how best to go through the process, the more I am hooked and realise how important it is.

I regularly ask athletes to look back at training sessions, competitions and the season and ask them what worked well, what they liked, what they would change and where they would like to go next. So why do I never do that? I set goals and targets each year, sure. But why do I not sit down and reflect on my day/week/month/year? Good question.

So what does reflection even mean? What do I reflect on? What is the purpose of it? Who cares? More good questions. 

Why? Is my first question. Why is this is important? Scheduled down time each week, focus on personal and professional development, remain focused on goals. All good whys. 

Next question; when? The words “too busy” have been deleted from my vocabulary. If you want to do something, you will make time for it. Anyway, I digress. Sunday seems a good day to reflect on the week past, with Monday being a logical day for reaffirmaton of targets and setting intentions for the week ahead. Of course, not all reflection can be scheduled, in fact I would argue the best reflections happen when you least expect it; while out running, sat on a train, in the queue at Costa. What happens in these scenarios? I don’t have my note pad to make sure I document these monumental reflections. Maybe just thinking about it is enough?

OK, so I am ready to reflect. Sat down on a cosy chair, hot drink in hand (or a cool glass of G&T, depends what mood I am in), notepad at the ready (stationary is VERY important here). Now what? What am I meant to reflect on? Well I tend to look through my calendar and re-run the week, look at any situations/interactions that stand out, try and understand the context of these situations and think of the impact of my actions on the outcome. Or to paraphrase all that: “What? So what? Now what?” (Driscoll, Reflective practice for practice).

Along with these reflections I write my goals for the year, every week. This is a really good way to reconfirm my intentions and keep me on track.

Remember reflections do not have to remain private. I am reminded to talk to people close to me, maybe not a formal arrangement, but checking in with people in your support network and having a catch up is also a great way to reflect. 

Be warned. All this reflection sounds very lovely but it can stir up some powerful thoughts and feelings, and not always positive. It forces you to critically analyse yourself and your environment which can open some brutal questions to ask yourself. Remember to be kind to yourself and confirm positive aspects, rather than focusing solely on the negative.

I would recommend all you ambitious souls to give this is a try, if you do not already. I would also love to hear your process for reflection.