The Power of Self-reflection

Self Awareness or introspection is a powerful asset when adopted.

What is it?

“the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.”

When you examine your own behaviours, beliefs and contributions, you become more aware of the things that may be hindering and slowing you down.

Being an effective Leader involves evaluation of not only the environment and team you’re nurturing but also most importantly evaluating yourself.

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Introspection at the core is really about evaluating your own feelings, thoughts, and actions in order to gain clarity and insight.

To see the real value of introspection you need to write things down in a journal.

Some powerful self-awareness questions which you should consider and write down your responses to are:

• What am I holding onto that isn’t serving me?

• What brings me joy and how can I incorporate that more into my life?

• How do I create intentional, meaningful connections with those I care about deeply?

• Could I be doing something different?

• How could I have handled that difficult situation better for next time?

• What’s really preventing me from getting started?

• What do I want to achieve this quarter?

Pausing, sitting quietly and just reflecting is extremely powerful, and that’s why maintaining a journal can really help you reflect on the work you’re doing, what matters most and where you’re going.

I originally journaled in notebooks, and then I moved to digital apps and finally landed at a digital workspace, Notion. It’s free by the way.

Here are some things I journal about constantly:

• Thoughts and feelings

• Inspiring quotes

• Things I am learning

• Mistakes I have made

• Notes from books

• Talking points for customers

• Feedback from other leaders

• Advice from Mentors/Coaches

• Ideas or improvements

• Quarterly/yearly evaluations

• Goals

• Win list

Avoid journaling in the midst of your working day. You should carve out thinking time, where you can just sit in silence, removed completely from the environment and in a headspace clear of the noise. Really think, evaluate, gain clarity and write your thoughts down.

Evaluating yourself and your team should be a core responsibility and something you do on a regular basis, as it will help you greatly to develop more Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is a key driver of success in leadership

Hope this helps

David

Resources Of The Week

• App - Notion - a superb digital workspace with loads of great templates to journal, store documents, articles, notes, your goals, and loads more. Strongly recommend.

• App - uDemy - if you don’t wish to invest in a monthly subscription learning service such as LinkedIn Learning, uDemy is a good alternative. I have taken around 3 courses and found the quality and instructors to be great. You can usually find great Leadership and Personal Development courses in the promo reduced to £10-£20. Excellent value for a course to sharpen your profressional skills.

• YouTube - Evan Carmichael Confidence Series - Evan put together a series of daily confidence-building videos from celebrities to motivational speakers delivered via YouTube directly to your inbox everyday. 254 days to Unstoppable Confidence.

Quote of the Week

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