Self-reflection can be surprisingly helpful in this world of “go,go,go!” Introspection involves an examination of your inner thoughts, feelings and sensations in order to gain insight.
Slowing down and taking a breather is not always the easiest thing to do in our very busy lives, however a little self examination will provide you the opportunity to gain awareness about what makes you happy.
Here are 7 ways self-reflection can be a positive tool in the month of November:
1. You can identify patterns in your life.
We are all creatures of habit. Following a schedule and doing predictable activities keeps our busy lives sane and it ensures that the basic daily tasks are completed. Take a moment and look at the patterns of your life. Are there any habits you would like to change? Improve upon? Get better at? Or stop all together? Change can be scary and cause a little chaos at first, but you can change a habit in 30 days. Check out the patterns of your life and consider your habits and what you might like them to be next month or next year.
2. Focus on the bigger picture.
When you don’t have a goal in mind, the everyday tasks become meaningless and increasingly frustrating. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a clear vision of where you see yourself in the future. If you are feeling “stuck-in-a-rut” remind yourself where you are going and make the little tasks joyful again.
3. Worrying about things that are out of your control is wasting energy.
There are times when you simply do not have control of a situation: a traffic jam, a line at the grocery store, rain on vacation, etc. It is important to be aware that you do not always have control over an outcome, and sometimes, adapt to the unfavorable conditions. Having introspection gives you the strength to identify these types of situations and detach yourself from the aspects over which you have no influence. Instead, you can direct your energy toward things that you can absolutely improve.
4. Face your fears.
We think that there are people who have no fears, but this is not true. We are all afraid of something. Self-reflection gives you the opportunity to admit to your fears and eventually learn how to best handle them. You may have to make adjustments as you learn how to work with your fears, but admitting they exist is a helpful starting point to alleviating them just a little bit.
5. Define your happiness.
What makes you happy? What does happy feel like for you? Where do you find yourself happiest and who are you with? These questions might seem pretty cheesy, but their answers provide a great deal of value. By increasing your awareness of what makes you happy, you can apply this knowledge to your goal setting to ensure that you are most frequently in places where you are happy with people that make you happy!
6. Make decisions using your conscience.
We all have that internal compass that tells us if something feels right or wrong. Introspection helps you read your compass when you have to make significant life decisions. Many of our friends and family have opinions, but you will know what you truly want to do based on your ability to read your internal compass. When making big choices, follow your conscience, it always makes you feel better.
7. Get different results.
If you keep doing things the same way, you will inevitably block the chance of making things better. By using self-reflection, you open yourself to new opportunity and have a better understanding of what you truly want from your life.
Take a few minutes a day this week for self-reflection
It only takes a few minutes a day to get in touch with our inner workings. If you take the time to check in with yourself, you could open yourself to increased happiness and the opportunity for Crafting with Joy!
November Week 1: Planning with Joy
November 1: What was your Big Win this year?
November 2: What motivated you this year?
November 3: What was a first or last this year?
November 4: What inspired you this year?
November 5: What made you laugh or cry this year?
Giveaways:
Tag your photos with #craftingwithjoy and be sure to follow me on Instagram @JoyMacdonell each Sunday of the month, I will choose a person at random as the winner of some crafty goodies! (domestic USA shipping only) Looking forward to you being part of November: Planning with Joy!
