If you have read my previous post which introduced reflective practice you may be eager to get started. If you haven’t yet read it, then a brief description is that reflective practice is another way of saying that you are able to learn from your experience in a structured way.
Here are some ways to help you get started with reflective practice and make it a big part of your life and self improvement.
Start a Journal or Personal Blog
Your first step will be to create a place where you can keep your reflective practice work, so you can look back at it at the end of each week or month. A small notebook you can carry anywhere is a good start. You can also create a folder on your computer and create documents or a private blog for your reflective practice.
Learn from Your Actions
In your journal, start thinking about your actions for a few minutes each day. What went well? What do you wish you could have done better? You don’t have to go into great details, just enough to be able to recall the events and what actions were taken, and how you felt.
Analysing Your Performance and Abilities Honestly
What action steps could you take to improve your performance? What other choices did you have in that situation? If you recognize, albeit later on, that you had options in the actions you take, then this is a great start to learning.
Spot Your Patterns
Are you repeating the same mistakes over and over again? Or have you gotten into a rut you just can’t seem to break out of?
End the Blame Game
When things don’t go well, do you tend to blame others? Or do you recognize the part you played in the situation turning out the way it did? As you progress with reflective practice you will probably see that you start to take more ownership of situations.
Know Thyself
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato based his teachings on the centuries-old proverb to know thyself. The skill of meditation is like watching your mind and following the chains of thought that criss-cross each other and often get very tangled. Meditation can help you untangle them.
Start with the Breath
Quieten the mind by trying to focus on your breath for ten rounds of breathing without getting distracted and following one of your chains of thought. Ten might not sound like much, but you might be surprised at how difficult it is because your mind is so busy racing from thought to thought.
Observe Your Thoughts
Once you have mastered the breath and can focus up to a count of ten, you can start to observe your thoughts and sensations. There is no need to judge, just to observe. You might feel hot, tired, hungry, angry, remember your mom’s birthday and more, all in the space of only a few seconds. Ignore the sensations and focus on your thoughts. What is worrying you? What have you been struggling with?
Transforming Failure into Success
Once you have identified something that’s been on your mind, what can you do to transform the situation? For example, if you hate having to speak in public, how could you go about improving your skills so it no longer holds you back in your career or personal life? Jot down your ideas in your journal.
Goal Setting
Choose one area you’ve been struggling with that you think you could tackle successfully with just a bit of extra effort. Giving yourself some easy successes to start with will encourage you when the time comes to tackle tougher stuff.
From Ideas to Actions
Once your reflective practice work has helped you identify areas you wish to work on, and you have set a goal, it will be time to come up with an action plan to achieve that goal. List the steps you could take that will help you gain the skills you might be missing or issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve your desired success.
Once you get started with reflective practice you will find it is one of the best ways to transform your life and achieve your full potential, and all it will take is a few minutes a day.
If you want to look for more detailed information I recommend this book.
Until next time,
Paul
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