Are you giving yourself the time to reflect undisturbed and on a regular basis? 
If not, I would like to invite you to set aside time regularly for reflection as it brings so many benefits.

The Whole World Reflects Us
The common meaning of reflection is when an image (sound or energy) mirrors back from a surface. When we look at ourselves in the mirror for example or take a selfie. When we meet others, we also get a reflection on ourselves – their faces and body express something related to our meeting. If we smile, we often get a smile back. We are projecting on the world what we think about it, so the whole world is a potential mirror to us. And then we also have our own body and inner world mirroring our state.

In other words, a massive amount of information about ourselves = the basis and potential to know ourselves and become more conscious!  

Reflecting on Our Boarders

When we reflect on ourselves, or a certain question, we do that by going to the borders to see what is under, over, besides, above and more, of that first impression/surface/image/thought/feeling. 

Deeper
With reflection, we inquire about what is under the surface. We dig deeper, finding our roots and core values. We discern what is true and authentic for us. 

Higher, more distant
We can also step back and see the bigger picture. What do we see if we zoom out? What is the context? What is the big pattern? Over a lifetime? Or generations?

Different angles
And what happens when we reflect on the image from different angles and perspectives?
How do we think others perceive us? 

Closer
Zooming in on the details we can for example distinguish what exactly we did when we succeeded, so we can do it again. 

Inside – Outside
If applicable – how is it feeling to be inside versus outside? 

Seven Reasons to Reflect More

Catch your new learnings
In sports, it is common that the players to look again and again at sequences that were especially significant – to learn from and continue doing (or not). Playing the movie extra slow helps to see the details. What have you learned today? How did that happen? 

Being authentic about our state
How do you feel right now? Are you pretending anything? What is true? 
What makes you feel good? 

Learning to know the unknown
What is it that we hide for ourselves? What do we fear, feel ashamed or guilty for? 
Are we embracing both our light and dark sides? 
What do we not like in others? There we have it. 

Find and sort out alternatives
Many alternatives can make us feel rich or overwhelmed before we have reflected on them. The other end – no alternatives at all – is rarely true – time to reflect!

Unwind yourself and get new ideas and solutions
When we reflect on something we unwind and reveal our own thoughts, feelings, assumptions, etc. We start to see more clearly. What has been hidden starts to show and we get access to new thoughts, ideas and solutions. 

Clarity: commitment, decisions and next step
When reflecting on our position and image we can make important decisions and find the next step. What do we want? Are we committed to something? How do I want to live my life in the first place?

Be in integrity
Are we in integrity in all our parts of life? If not, what would that look like? 

How?

Give yourself undisturbed time, at least 30 minutes.
Be open and willing to listen to both your mind, body and spirit. The head, heart and belly contribute with different perspectives. Invite the whole of you. 

Give yourself permission to think, feel and talk on a certain topic or a question. 

Write or draw if you want.

It is often very helpful if someone listens with full attention and presence, silent and without interrupting. When someone else listens, our thinking tends to deepen faster, instead of going into loops. 

Examples of daily reflection questions
How have I been?
Did the day turn out as I had imagined?
If it didn’t turn out the way I wanted – how did I handle it?
What have I learned today?
What can I appreciate today?

Enjoy your time!

Anna Eriksson, ICF Master Certified Coach