Sunday Reflections

Habitual Mindfulness

One of the best practices I have ever implemented consistently is habitual reflection. This could be something that you do every day, a couple days a week, or once a week. I wouldn't advise doing it less than once a week because then I feel like there is almost too much to reflect on that some things might not get the attention they deserve. Reflections do not have to be some sort of lengthy event and it does not have to be all at once. I personally like to reflect for a few minutes at a time throughout my day while doing other things because that is the way my mind likes to work.

Every Brain Works Differently

The way I like to reflect is normally every day or every other day and I will do so while I am doing other things such as prepping to cook, doing laundry, or cleaning. I like to multitask and especially when I am completing physical tasks that are pretty mindless then I like to do something with my mind and thats what I do. However, when I have a week that is not so busy I enjoy just sitting on my balcony with a cup of coffee and just staring off into the distance to reflect. There are several ways that I have figured out are my favorite ways to reflect and I found this out essentially by trial and error.

I think it best to try to start out by reflecting every Sunday or whatever day of the week is the least busiest for you. You could try multitasking it with something mindless like I do or you could do more of a meditation approach. If you have never meditated here is a good place to start. I have used meditation to get to the root of problems before but when it comes to reflections I do not prefer to meditate. That is the best thing about reflecting is that there is no wrong way to do it.

What is the Purpose?

The purpose of reflecting is to essentially figure out if you like what you have been doing, saying, thinking, feeling, etc. If you like everything about what you have been doing then that is great! Keep doing what you are doing and stick to what you know. If you do not like a certain thing about your previous week or so then this is what the second part of the reflection period is for. You have to figure out what it is that you would rather be doing, saying, thinking, feeling etc.

Personally since I reflected on this last week I did not like how I had been feeling physically. I had been feeling pretty sluggish and just drained and I have a very good idea that it is because I had not been as active as I like to be and I have not gotten the right amount of sleep. Naturally my goal for the next week will be to correct that and get myself out of that feeling.

Knowing is Half the Battle

https://me.me/i/now-you-know-and-knowing-is-half-the-battle-gi-22a8257f286948e7928dccec879811d3

What I felt was one of the most difficult aspects of being able to reflect efficiently was being able to know what I wanted and what my goals were. Once I was able to do that I was able to become my best self. Knowing what you want is the first step towards getting what you want and getting to be where you want to be and this could be a physical, mental, or social goal. Sometimes knowing what you want is harder to figure out but knowing what you do not want is generally easier. Start with what you do not want and ask yourself why from there. 

For example, in high school I did not like how I was not very social, I was not very strong, and I wished that I was funnier. I did not know how to be funnier or be more social but I knew that in order to get stronger I would need to start working out. And so I did. Then the remarkable happened and I gained more confidence in myself and the rest just fell into place. I did not exactly know how to get where I wanted but I made a step in what I knew was the right direction.

Trust the Process

When reflecting and ultimately trying to better oneself it will almost always be a slow process. That does not mean that what you are doing is wrong it means that what you are doing is hard. Big changes in one's life should not be easy and becoming your best self will not be easy. If being your best self was easy then everyone would do it and everyone would be without flaws. Being your best self is something that if done right will be a persistent pursuit that may never have a true end. One goal gets accomplished and another goal is set.