Reflect on Your Year
In the next few weeks, the holiday bustle will pass and a new year will begin. New Year’s resolutions will spur on the joining of gyms, the crafting of nutrition plans, and the forming of budgets. But before anyone can really identify the steps they want to take or the changes they want to make in the new year, there must be time spent on reflection. Not only does self-reflection help you acknowledge the progress you’ve made, but it also helps you recognize the areas for growth that you’d like to work toward. In this article, we discuss the importance of reflection and how it can catapult you toward the life you’ve always wanted.
3 Areas for Reflection
At Building Champions, we talk a lot about your inner game—and how it shows up in life and leadership. Your inner game addresses the cognitive, the emotional, and the behavioral. Essentially, what you think, feel, and believe will directly impact your actions and words—and in turn, your relationships, results, and overall leadership both in life and work. So, we encourage you to take some time this holiday season before the new year begins to reflect upon these three areas: your thinking, feeling, and believing.
Your Thinking. Thoughts are powerful. So, what are you feeding your mind? What sort of inputs are you absorbing? Consider the information you receive both first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening. Are you reading stressful news articles while you eat breakfast? How is that impacting your mindset (and setting the tone for the rest of your day)? And in the evening, are you streaming an episode of a show that spikes your anxiety? How is that impacting your sleep? And what type of thoughts are you allowing into your mind? Are they positive or negative? Are they true? Are they informing you or distracting you? Take some time to consider what you’re listening to and how it’s affecting your disposition.
Your Feeling. Pay attention to your emotions—they’re usually telling us something important. Don’t dismiss or invalidate them (in yourself or anyone else). Listen to them. Be curious about them. Discern if there is an underlying thought causing a specific emotion. And if the thought is true, then do the work to understand the connection between the thought and the feeling. But if the thought is untrue, then do the work to uproot that false narrative and introduce a new pattern of thinking. The acknowledgment of emotion is important to well-being and overall self-leadership.
Your Believing. What core convictions drive your actions? Are you clear on what you believe and why you believe it? How are your convictions impacting your life and leadership? What we believe about ourselves, others, and the world around us shows up in our words and actions, whether we want it to or not. For example, if someone wrongs you, do you automatically believe it was intentional or do you leave room for human error, seeking to understand what and why the wrong happened? Or when you make a mistake, what do you believe about yourself? Are you giving yourself grace or is perfectionism at play? What we believe, those deeply rooted narratives that parade through our minds both influence our thoughts and impact our behaviors—so make sure that what you’re believing is true and uplifting, not only for the benefit of yourself but for the benefit of those you love and lead.
And a great way to begin identifying your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs is by creating a Life Plan. Thousands of leaders like you have used our Life Plan to help them reflect on where they’re at and where they want to go. In a previous article, we’ve outlined what sets our Life Plan apart from others and why it’s so impactful—and you can check that out here. And if you’d like more guidance as you create your own Life Plan, you can snag our Live with Purpose digital course to help. Or if you’d like the accountability and direction that comes with coaching, our team of Executive Coaches are here to help, just reach out.
Download our free Life Plan below to begin reflecting on the life you’re living and the life you want. Get started today!
