The quality of your thoughts matter.
Do you ever feel like a complete stranger to yourself?
Do you ever stop to think about your thoughts?
What about critiquing your thought processes?
How well do you self-reflect? Do you allow yourself time to clarify your values in a times of uncertainty?
I think self-reflection and introspection, examining our thoughts and our mental processes for arriving at those thoughts, are crucial daily disciplines to practice.
In order for things to improve, they must improve from within first. Or as Zig Ziglar once said, “There’s just no room for stinkin’ thinkin’.”
- Here are a few questions to help you get into an internal focus mode:
- Have I been and am I now using my time wisely today?
- Are my current projects and future goals challenging me to improve?
- Am I taking care of my body, both mentally and physically? After all, it is the only one I have.
- Do I allow things that are beyond my control to stress me out?
- Who or what have I been taking for granted?
- Is my current worldview based on a positive perspective?
- Is my life authentic and transparent for everyone to see the real me, or do I play different parts for different people?
- Am I going to let this situation control me, or am I going to allow my self to be happy unconditionally?
- Am I putting enough effort into my relationships, both personal and professional?
- What challenge am I currently in the process of resolving?
- What emotion am I feeling at this moment? What thoughts led to this emotion? Why did that thought arise, or where did it come from?
- Am I aware that this emotion is just a chemical reaction in my brain and is not a “real” thing?
- These are just a few questions to get your thinking focused internally instead of on external factors.
Learning to develop this practice daily, you will go from feeling like a stranger to yourself to knowing yourself thoroughly and intimately from the inside out.
What questions do you ask yourself if or when you self-reflect?
I would love to add those to my list to share with others.