Turn Experience Into Understanding (6 Steps to Reflect Like a Pro)

Once upon a time...

There was a monk walking slowly along a road when he hears the sound of a galloping horse. He turns around to see a man riding a horse moving swiftly towards his direction. When the man reaches closer, the monk asks, “Where are you going?”. To which the man replies, “I don’t know, ask the horse” and rides away.

The moral of the story?

In this parable, the horse signifies your subconscious, driven by past conditioning. Through self-reflection, you can gain back control, transforming subconscious impulses into conscious choices. This awareness empowers you to steer your destiny, breaking free from unseen reins and galloping towards your true potential.

2023 is all but over, but let's turn our experience into understanding through self-reflection.

When we reflect, our brain can take a break, think about what we've seen and done, and figure out what it means. This helps us learn and guides how we think and act later. For leaders, understanding these meanings is key to growing and getting better - and there is science around this.

A Harvard and Bocconi research study in call centers found that employees who spent 15 minutes at the end of the day reflecting about lessons learned, performed 23% better after 10 days than those who did not reflect.

Another study, this time with UK commuters found something similar: people who used their travel time to plan their day felt happier, did more work, and were less tired than those who didn't.

BASE PRINCIPLE

WHAT IF?

What if you could garner more understanding and wisdom from your experiences? What if you could be more effective in your work? What if you could be happier?

In a survey of 442 executives, the folks at Harvard asked leaders to reflect on which experiences most advanced their professional development and had the greatest impact on them.

They revealed embarrassing stories, big screw ups, terrible gaffes - but also smart decisions, huge wins, and heartfelt interactions.

When they clustered the most impactful reflections, three themes rose to the top:

• Surprise: our human tendency is to predict the future based on the past, hence the importance of reflecting on our mistakes and wrong assumptions.

• Failure: while surprise is internal, failure is public. Reflecting on failure allows use to learn by "negative example"

• Frustration: at the root of our frustration are our goals and expectations, finding ways to cope and move forward equals growth.

When reflecting, pay these in mind to get most out of it.

Here's how you do it:

The 6 Steps of Self Reflection

1/ Questions: select some important ones

First identify some questions for you to reflect on - think about the three themes above. To help you, I've put together an Annual Reflection workbook with 7 questions inspired by legends for this exercise. Download ​HERE​

2/ Process: choose one that fits you

Don't want to write? Record your musings on your phone? Don't like that either? Chat with a buddy! Pick a method that suits you. Walk, stand, sit - self-reflection is for you, make it work FOR you.

3/ Scheduling: find a time and place

Put it on the calendar. Enough said.

4/ Baby step: start with a short period of time

10 min? 15? Don't worry about blocking out an entire day if it seems daunting, just start.

5/ Action: go through with it

You actually need to do it. Make it a habit to go through with it like a work task.

6/ Collaborate: ask for help, do it with others

For most people, they might not reflect because they lack time, experience, or skill. Working with a colleague, therapist, or coach can help make time, listen, think together, and keep you on track

Go take some time and reflect upon 2023, squeeze that last drop of goodness before it goes away.

Live your legend 🤘🏽,

Howie Chan

Creator of Legend Letters

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Sources:

1. Porter, Jennifer, Why You Should Make Time for Self-Reflection, Harvard Business Review, March 21, 2017 - ​LINK​

2. Lindley, Alex, The Science of Self-Reflection: How Looking Inward Can Affect Every Area of Your Life, Success Magazine, February 4, 2022 - ​LINK​

3. Bailey, James R., Rehman, Scheherazade, Don't Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection, March 4, 2022 - ​LINK