Self-Reflection

Meet with Yourself

 

There is a popular story of a lion cub who forgot his true identity. He was left all alone as a baby because his mother was captured by hunters just after his birth. A group of goats had pity on him and took him in to raise as one of theirs. As he didn’t know any better, the lion cub believed he was a goat and learnt to live that way. As he grew, he sometimes felt there was something different about him. He, however, tried to push this feeling away and continued to live as a goat.

 

One day, a huge lion appeared roaring on a hilltop. All the goats were terrified and ran away. The young lion ran too but the huge lion’s image remained in his head.

 

On another occasion, he went deep into the forest and became thirsty. Sighting a pond ahead he rushed to quench his thirst. As he lowered his head, stretched out his neck to take a big gulp, he saw his own reflection for the first time! What intrigued him was that he didn’t look like the other goats, instead, he looked like the lion that terrified them a while back. That moment of reflection started this young lion on a journey to self-discovery and he could thereafter live his best life.

 

This is the power of Self-Reflection, making it a regular habit helps you to see yourself the way you really are. It’s like standing in front of a good mirror; you’ll observe things about yourself that are not obvious without the reflection. I’m a big believer in constantly looking inwards and reflecting on my life especially at the end of the year. There is something about this period that makes it the perfect time. Just as you review your day, week and month, you should set aside a block of time to review and reflect on this year to make the best of the next year. Here are 3 tips to help you.

 

1. List Your Accomplishments
   It’s human nature to always have your sight set on what’s next. But you need to appreciate what you’ve done to fuel your resolve to do much more. I encourage you to create a list of all of your accomplishments in 2020, whether big or small. Take your time; think through each month and list everything out. If needed, have a look through your planner, photo gallery or even social media posts to see what you were up to each month. You will realise that even though the year threw some curve-balls at you, there were still some accomplishments recorded.
2. List Your Biggest Lessons
   A great way to prepare for the new year is to create a list of the lessons you’ve learnt in 2020. Think back on the year and ask yourself the questions; What are the greatest life lessons I got this year? What paradigm shift did I experience in the course of the year? Which of these lessons do I need to take with me into the new year? Regardless of your experiences in 2020, there is always a lesson to learn that can make you a better person if you imbibe them. Identify and use these lessons to equip yourself for a better 2021.
3. Create A Gratitude List
   What are you grateful for this year? You might feel there isn’t much to write on this list but the fact that you are still here after all that has happened means there is so much to be grateful for. In the words of Melody Beattie; “Gratitude makes sense of your past, brings peace for today and creates vision for tomorrow.” I encourage you to make a gratitude list, you may start with the fact that you are alive and able to read this now. Give it a little more thought and you’ll have a long list.  

I’ll leave you with the words of Tony Buon, who said, “Great leaders develop through a never-ending process of self-study & self-reflection.” Once you review and reflect on the ending year, you’ll soon find out that you’re charged up and ready to take on the new year. 

Remember, You Have Only One Life to Live, MAKE IT COUNT!