Take A Look Inside
"When I look at where I'm coming from
I know I'm blessed, and I close my eyes and smile" Chronixx.
We are continually striving to become better versions of ourselves. However, sometimes we experience a setback in pursuit of being our best selves. We can navigate this bump in the road through self-reflection and self-assessment.
Self-reflection is an "examination, contemplation, and analysis of one's thoughts, feelings, and actions." Self-reflection is meaningful since what we think about and say to ourselves influences our actions. For instance, do you use cognitive distortions such as an all-or-nothing mindset? Do you filter out the positives of your experiences and focus on what you perceive as unfavorable?
Therefore, recognizing and changing our dysfunctional feelings, behaviors, and inaccurate and faulty thinking patterns are pertinent. Hence, our minds are the key to our success. Saying our minds are vital to success does not nullify the consistency of self-discipline. Still, there needs to be alignment between thought and action. Mindset and action sustain self-discipline.
Dr. William Glasser writes, "very few of us realize how much we choose the misery in our lives. Even when we do, we will go ahead with the disastrous choice because we are convinced that we don't have the strength to choose better."
Dr. Glasser explains further that people do not give up on themselves because they are weak but because "they no longer have the strength to keep up the struggle."
When things are not going well, we often focus on what is not working. While it is understandable that we will pay attention to the "problem," it is appropriate to consider ways to modify our behaviors for better outcomes.
Sometimes when we think of solving a problem, we do not think of our role in creating the problem. Most of what we deal with has already happened to us and is patterned behaviors repeating themselves because we believe problem-solving is external. Dr. Glasser's statement signals when we recognize our self-defeating behaviors, we must consider new behaviors to strengthen our resolve to do better.
In addition to our use of self-reflection, self-assessments provide an opportunity to yield significant insights into oneself. Self-assessment is especially useful when done in a non-judgmental way. This way, we can observe and describe our behaviors, improving our ability to solve problems that interfere with our growth motivation. When our growth motivation is affected, we shift our focus to our deficient needs. When we can adequately deal with our needs, we are prepared to move forward with our goals.
Although we are in the best position to assess our strengths and weaknesses, it is beneficial to consider helpful feedback from others before making a decision. Use self-assessments to:
Self-monitor
Self-reflect
Assess motivation
Refocus attention
Measure progress
Self-reflection and self-assessment help us to take ownership of our actions and lives.
Stay Naturally Curious