Here comes the A-C-T Blog! Here I give you an Awe moment from research or own experience, a Citation supporting the topic and a Take away for you to ponder on.

Awe moment

Diary entry [November 2023]: I was having a moment of self doubt about starting a business, when my husband asked me, “What have you got to loose?” It was the million dollar question that sent my brain into a spiral. The first thought that came to my mind was “My name’s on the line” but the more I reflected, I realised I was thinking with my ego, a fixed mindset. Why do I care about my name when all I truly want, is to serve and bring value to people. The realisation came quickly, switch back to a growth mindset, correct your thinking and realise how much you could learn on the journey, even when the beginning gets rough.

For many of us on this life journey, there come moments of self doubt, casting blame, avoiding problems or jumping to conclusions and making the wrong assumptions. Self-reflection is more than introspection; it’s a journey back to our core, exploring our thoughts, beliefs, and principles. By pausing amidst the world’s noise, we can step back and truly contemplate our values and the person we aspire to be.

Citation

“The journey into self-love and self-acceptance must begin with self-examination… until you take the journey of self-reflection, it is almost impossible to grow or learn in life.”

Iyanla Vanzant

Take Away

When turbulence strikes, it’s natural for us to feel unsettled and anxious, often leaving us in a state of confusion. This is when we need to find our footing, clear away the distractions, and reflect on our new reality.

The best place to start is to familiarise ourselves with the well-known self reflection models, Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) or Kolb’s Learning Cycle (1984) and use self- reflection whenever we need to find the calm amidst the chaos. As we go along this journey, we will not only reap the learning and growth benefits of reflection, we will also find our own flow and what works best for us individually, in every different scenario in life.

For example, when I need to reflect on my internal thinking or emotions, I practice the 5 Why’s- it helps me get a deep understand of why I feel or think the way I do and what I need to improve on.

Self-reflection requires courage and honesty and since there’s no one size fits all approach, the goal should always be simple, to gain an understanding and remind ourselves of who we want to become. How do we want to portray our true self to the outside world? By reflecting, we’ll discover the strength to face any challenge, and wisdom to navigate life’s turbulent seas.

What can you reflect on today?
How can you take that learning to improve your thinking or reaction tomorrow?

Until next week,

Nela Ferreira
Founder of Elev8 Networks,
CPD Certified Life Coach,
Self-Development enthusiast