The power of reflection can transform your career

As you’re considering making a shift, it’s essential to uncover and understand what you’ve been missing or desiring. Take time to sit down and put together your thoughts. What hasn’t been working in your current role? What hasn’t been working with your current organization?

Why do we need to reflect if we already know something needs to change?

Often when we want to make changes to our life, career, living situation, partnership, schedule... you name it... the first question people ask is why.

And that “why” question hurts. If you’re already at your breaking point you’re past why. It’s not a matter of why, it’s now a matter of when.

You’ve already gotten your head, heart, and gut aligned to a point that there’s no going back, so why bother examining the details if you’re already running full speed ahead?

But when you jump straight into action, you’re moving from a place of fear. A place of running away. When we stop, reflect, and review, we have a chance to learn from our past.

The review may make you pause. It might make you fearful of taking that next step out of fear of making a possible mistake.

That’s good.

We want our decisions to come from a place of knowledge, learned behaviors, and curiosity.

What it means to reflect

You might think that reflecting is sitting calmly and quietly by a still pond, looking out onto the horizon and an answer will appear.

That might work.

Often what we do instead is let our brain wander to the subject, touch it lightly, and then run away. Usually around 3am for me.

By taking an active reflection, you can move outside of your head. Otherwise you’ll be running in circles, or talking your partner’s ear off, slash anyone who will listen.

There’s a massive difference between active reflection and the motion of reflection.

So how do we reflect in a way that’s positive, that moves us towards our goals?

How to reflect more intentionally

If you thought there was going to be some massive secret... I hate to break it to you.

The best way to reflect is to write it down.

That’s it.

Taking the time to write down your thoughts, in a way that you can return to them, is incredible.

Want to take a stab?

Put together a pro/con list of your current situation. What’s working? What isn’t working? Why not?

Take it a step further. Of the things that are working, how can you get more of that? Of the things that aren’t working - what’s in your control? What isn’t? Who can you tap on to ask for help?

And don’t just write the list once. Come back to it next week. What’s shifted? Go visit a new place, or take an interview at another organization. What have you learned?

Want to do some active reflecting right now? Take 5 minutes, answer 15 questions and get a Career Clarity Statement. You know more than you think.