•We end the old and start the new.
•If we fail to reflect, we lose the treasures and insights that our experiences offer.
Image: SHUTTERSTOCK
Once again, we are at the time of year when we end the old and start the new. It is a season of excitement and hope.
Furthermore, I believe that the end year is also a time for reflection.
The leadership guru, John C. Maxwell, said that: “Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. Reflective thinking is needed to turn experience into insight.”
If we fail to reflect, we lose the treasures and insights that our experiences offer. You have experienced 2021, and it is now time to reflect on it and gain wisdom.
Crossing a timeline won’t change you automatically. If you do not change your thinking, it would be the same old you stepping into a new year and getting the same old results.
Hence, reflection is a vital step to transformation. You want to consciously review and identify your thinking and actions, and see where and how to make changes. If you are interested in reflection on 2021, here are three simple questions to help you.
What worked? In 2021, you had plans, developed strategies, and made moves. Now, at the year-end, can you identify what worked? Where did you get the most results? What thought patterns proved valuable? What perspectives gave you an advantage?
This question will help you uncover and understand the good results you enjoyed in 2021. On further reflection, you will see why you achieved success, and the learnings learned can be incorporated into your 2022 strategies. Every success happens because of the proper application of principles, and it is wise to know and understand the principles that ensured your success – this is what reflection reveals.
What Didn’t Work? You know what worked in 2021, now it’s time, to be honest about what didn’t work. Where did you miss it? What did you get wrong? What were your miscalculations? Here, the idea isn’t regretting, but to know your weaknesses and mistakes not to repeat.
What Can Be Improved? A good understanding of what worked and didn’t work gives you a picture of what needs to improve. The next level requires that you make changes and get better in some areas.
The answers to this question would provide clarity on what needs to change. Once the gaps are discovered, commit to your growth, and the strategies on how to make changes would emerge. You can be more in the new year if you can access the wisdom from experiences and close your growth gaps.
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