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Category: The Power Of Reflection

Sponging Experience

Published on April 10, 2023

Spend a little time thinking about—and writing about—what happened each day.

This one, small habit will help you absorb exponentially more life experience than only ever thinking about what’s going to (might) happen next.

…Because those who are only ever future focused do little to no absorbing at all.

Absorbing happens when you stop, look back at the mess you made (or what you cleaned) and move the sponge of your mind over it a few times so it’s cleaner/ clearer and more ready for—now—whatever’s coming next.

I can’t tell you how many experiences I’ve had that seemed clear in the moment, but were actually quite foggy and temporary until I spent a little time thinking—and writing—about them.

Sponges work best, not against some future mess, but in response to what’s already there.

2023 Will Rhyme

Published on December 16, 2022

Before you start mega-phoning your New Year’s resolutions and lining up at your January 1st start line to sprint towards a new reality… it’s imperative you take a look back.

How did things play out for you from 2022? 2021? 2020? Etc. Can you dig up a record (or three) of what your goals and action strategies were from then? How they played out? What you were experiencing as you went?

This exploration will give you trends and insight that could be essential to playing out 2023 differently… more strategically… better.

Side note: if you don’t have a record like this, and you think having a record like this now would be valuable, maybe it’s something you could start this year?

Main train: One of the first quotes that I remember feeling deeply impacted by, as cliché as it sounds to me now, was: “If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting.”

History may not repeat itself exactly—but, have no doubt: history rhymes.

And 2023 will rhyme with all of your other years and resolution attempts.

So, don’t forget to look back before you floor it forward. You might learn something about yourself that’ll impact your pace, direction, ambition, accountability, strategy, etc. that you hadn’t quite internalized before.

And maybe it’s that one realization that’ll actually make 2023 your best year ever.

Reflection Is The Way

Published on December 6, 2022

Remember this: the only time you DON’T grow from what happens in life is when you DON’T reflect.

Mindlessly moving from one experience to the next is what leads to repeated mistakes, cyclical thinking, and stagnation.

Which means, if reflection is in your life… regardless of the hardships, trials, and challenges… you can, at minimum, count on the fact that you’re steady growing with every happening as a result.

And if you can put trust in your growth (which you should), you can also count on the fact that you’ll eventually outgrow your current hardships, trials, and challenges (which is how it works).

…And they won’t, in fact, be an unending source of pain and suffering in your life.

Each of these situations, too, shall pass (in proportion to the quality of your reflections)—believe it.

Remember this, when you say you don’t have time for reflection in your “busy” life.

P.s. Everyone who says you should never look back is wrong.

The Work Of The Wise

Published on September 30, 2022

Sometimes we come across content that makes us pause, nod, and even talk out loud.

Whenever that happens, it’s a sign of resonance.

And when something resonates with you, the reason why isn’t always obvious.

Sometimes, sure, it resonates because it just plain makes sense and you agree.

But, other times, it might be more than that.

Other times, it might be resonating from a chord that was struck deeper inside of you.

And in this case, using that content as a means to do some inner exploration can yield tremendous insights.

Insights that help you better understand why you think and act the way you do.

Insights that have the potential to shift the direction of your life when they’re realized from a deep enough place.

But, if all you ever do when you pause, nod, and talk to yourself is keep scrolling… you’ll forget. And the resonance will fade.

And what a shame that would be for your future self. The one that’s depending on you to take care of them.

What if instead, we made space each day to explore the things that resonated with us—in both the good ways and the bad.

Because there are (should) be things each day that strike our chords (if not, you need to subscribe to more interesting content).

What I have found to be true sometimes is, the more time I have to think about it… the deeper the reasons why might be buried.

So be patient. Relentlessly block out distractions and potential interruptions. And dig.

This work is too important. This work is too often overlooked. This work is the work of the wise.

Moving Towards Ideal

Published on September 16, 2022

The following three questions have been guiding my life for the past several years:

1. What does my ideal day look like?

2. What does my current day look like?

3. What can I do today to get my current day closer to my ideal?

Would recommend.

Don’t Look Back?

Published on July 15, 2022

“Don’t look back—you’re not going that way.”

I disagree.

Looking back is precisely what you need to do if you’re going to keep moving forward in your life.

I’m not saying to dwell. Nor am I saying you should only look back. But, another way to say “looking back” is to reflect.

And careful reflection is key to calibrating your internal compass. You know… the internal compass that tells you which direction is forward in the first place!

What many people don’t realize is that without a properly calibrated internal compass, forward is merely a guess. And guessing isn’t a good strategy for moving forward in life.

I say, look back; reflect carefully; learn from past experiences; become a strategic, forward-moving boss who utilizes insight from their past to expedite their journey forward.

And don’t ever let yourself assume that you know all there is to know about your past.

As you age, grow, mature—the lens through which you look at past experiences will change. And how you understand those experiences will need updating and revising accordingly.

This is why we should keep looking back—all throughout life.

Change the mantra from: “Don’t look back—you’re not going that way.”

To: “Look back occasionally; calibrate; ensure you’re going the right way.”

Read my full rant on this here: Everyone Who Says You Should Never Look Back Is Wrong

The Ultimate Life Compass

Published on May 31, 2022

Wisdom is knowledge and experience internalized.

…It is the ultimate life compass.

When you think about each of the regretful decisions and cringe-worthy mistakes you’ve made in your life, at their root, they were made because of a lack of wisdom.

With that in mind, it’s important to point out that the less you seek to develop wisdom in your life, the less calibrated your compass will be.

And if there’s one area you should always make time for in your life, it’s the calibrating of your life’s compass.

How to do that? Through careful and deliberate reflection, exploratory writing, and open conversation.

And saying you don’t have time is the same as the lumberjack saying he doesn’t have time to sharpen his ax. When you make time for wisdom, wisdom will make time for you.

The rewards are exponential. Both in time saved and better decisions enjoyed.