I was going to end my previous thought with my last post, but I think I hit on something bigger. How self-reflective are you? Now that you have the standard for how you should be, are you taking full advantage to become the person God wants you to be?
How much time do I spend thinking about how I act and what I say? It’s uncomfortable, I can tell you that. It’s not fun thinking about the day’s conversations and what you could’ve done differently. But it leads to amazing results.
That’s why I try to have some alone time every day if I can. This is where I think about life. Was I loving with my actions and kind with my words? Could I have served anyone I didn’t? Did I live like Jesus that day?
If my answers are unsatisfactory, I think of tomorrow. How will I change? How can I improve? What can I do better?
But self-reflection doesn’t only have to be about earlier that day or about tomorrow. It can also be about where your life is going. All of us are heading in some direction. Are you setting yourself up for a successful future?
It can also be about how you spend your time. Are you being productive in your free time? Mindless fun is fine, just make sure it doesn’t render you… useless and unfruitful. Make sure to grow as a person using your free time.
Think about what you believe. Does it line up with the standard set in the Bible? Does it lead to positive thoughts and a strong faith? Beliefs lead to lifestyles and mindsets. They are the foundation for who you are as a person, so make they are well thought-out.
That’s what self-reflection is all about.
So What about You?
How self-reflective are you? How much time do you spend thinking about how you can improve as a person*? I’ve found that the most mature people I’ve met are the ones who think the most. They are very self-aware, and they try to be the best people they can be.
Find a time of day when you can be quiet and alone… and just think. If you don’t know what to think about, use the above thoughts to start out. It might be uncomfortable at first. American culture doesn’t like purposeful self-reflection. That’s why we are always around people or always watching television or listening to music or on the computer or on our phone.
Because then we can’t think. Thinking brings us to the bare bones of ourselves. We can put on an act to others. But you can’t fool yourself. You see yourself as you are, and some of us don’t like that.
Thinking is scary, and it can be depressing. But it leads to improvement. It leads to original ideas and refinement. It leads to maturity.
Self-reflection will give you a depth to who you are. You’ll see things in new ways. You’ll grow. There will be pain, but the joy you’ll experience is incomparable as you see yourself becoming who you want to be.
*Now, the purpose of self-reflection isn’t to beat yourself up and get depressed. The more you think about who you are and how you act and what you say, there will be times when you will get down. But the goal of thinking is to improve as a person, not commit suicide.
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