When’s the last time you looked in the mirror?
I mean a look at the reflection of your entire body?
A while ago?
I’m sure you don’t hesitate to stare into the mirror to touch up your make up, pick at your zit, or check to see if your abs have made an appearance yet.
You bet I do it too!
Why is it so hard to look at our entire body?
Don’t give me the load of crap about not having a full-length mirror because not having one is probably another one of your clever tricks to avoid looking at your reflection all together.
The real reason is because we only like to look at ourselves in a negative light.
We enjoy looking at the things we hate and pointing out what went wrong.
You should look at your reflection and feel accomplished and proud.
Your reflection is not an identification of your failures or weaknesses, but a reflection of how far you’ve come.
Think about how you utilize the rear view mirror in your car.
You can’t drive down the road staring into it.
You don’t stare back at the turn you just missed or the car driving too slow in the fast lane.
You glance into it to see the road and traffic behind you.
You use it to guide and direct you forward.
Mirrors provide a reflection.
A reflection of where you’ve come from, what you’ve passed along your journey, and as a guide for what is to come.
So how come we can use the rear view mirror so well, but not a full-length mirror?
Because honest reflection of yourself is one of the toughest tasks you face.
Tough as it may be, it’s important, arguably critical, for success.
Why is it so important?
Understanding
We’ve acknowledged how difficult self-reflection can be, but it is a great opportunity to learn and better understand ourselves.
Reflection is like having a conversation with yourself. Within these conversations, you gain insight on your strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, fears, and hopes.
Reflection gives you the opportunity to learn something about yourself, and the reality is that when you know yourself better, you open yourself to more growth.
Growth
Identifying successes and failures are like uncovering stepping-stones along your path.
The longer you avoid reflection on your mistakes and failures, the more frequently you will repeat them. Identify what went wrong or what you could have done differently; therefore, the next time you are faced with a similar situation, you can make a better choice to see a different result.
Similarly, the less often you reflect on successes, the less likely you are to repeat them. If something worked well for you or brought about abundant success, take note!
Recognize how or why you things went well, so you are able to replicate the process in the future.
Opportunity
The future is a scary place to look. Get caught too long looking into the future, and you may miss opportunities right in front of you.
But don’t let that stop you because glancing into the future as well as reflection of the path can leave you filled with opportunities.
As you work to better understand yourself, you are creating a picture of your future. The growth created by reflection leads to more growth and opportunities. The opportunities that come as a result of self-reflection are what add life and color to your picture.
These opportunities make your future a reality.
Energize
Well, if THAT doesn’t get you fired up, then you should probably stop reading.
Looking in the mirror is such a hated process.
It’s thought to be demoralizing, frustrating, and disappointing.
KNOCK THAT OFF!
Reflection is energizing.
It shows where you’re currently at.
It helps you to see how far you have come.
It helps you to create an image of your future.
It helps present opportunities to make your future a reality.
Yes, you may wish this breakout would stop, that your thigh gap was back, or that your tummy was flat; however, it doesn’t mean your body has failed you. It has carried you so far in life. It has brought you to this point, and with reflection it has so much further to carry you.
Self-reflection is energizing because it helps to show you what is possible.
Perspective
How often do you move from one thing to the next?
TOO QUICKLY.
If things go well, we have to put our nose to the grindstone to make more things go well.
If things go poorly, we want to hide and push it past us as quickly as possible.
Our busy lives prevent us from seeing the bigger picture.
Reflection helps to put things back into perspective.
Being up a couple of pounds after the weekend is NOT the end of the world.
Not fitting into that old pair of jeans YET is NOT the end of the world.
Slow down to think about WHY and WHERE you’ve come from because in the end, do these small details really matter?
In the end when you reach your goal are you going to be stuck on the fact that on a
Monday you were up two pounds?
If you are, you did it wrong because you should only be celebrating your accomplishment.
Innovation
Reflection can spark ideas.
It can stop your light bulb from flickering and turn it into a bright shining beam.
You may find a new strategy or tactic that helped you stay on track for the weekend.
You may realize a specific food makes you feel bloated and sluggish.
Reflect on the process with the intent to learn WHY you either succeeded or failed. The WHY usually holds the answer, and it can point you to future success if you dig deeper into it.
Self-Love
Finally, reflection helps to improve our self-love.
Ahhh, the person we love to hate most – ourselves.
Self-reflection helps you to
Better understand yourself,
Learn and grow as an individual,
Find opportunities in all scenarios,
Energize you for all the things your body does for you,
Gain perspective so you can see the bigger picture, and
Spark new ideas for future success.
The importance of self-reflection really boils down to the fact that it helps you to better love and appreciate yourself.
We love to hate ourselves.
We love to forget all the incredible and beautiful things our body does for us.
Look in the mirror or reflect on your journey and acknowledge what you might change, but do it in a way that appreciates where your body has carried you to and a way that loves every inch of what looks back at you in the mirror.
We hate reflection because we don’t have enough self-love.
If you’re giving everything you have to this life, what’s not to love?
