I recently read the book, How Successful People Think, by John C. Maxwell, and I wanted to start the New Year with a section of his book, chapter 7, “Learn from Reflective Thinking.”
“The pace of our society does not encourage reflective thinking. Most people would rather act than think. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a person of action. I have very high energy and I like to see things accomplished. But I’m also a reflective thinker. Reflective thinking is like the crock-pot of the mind. It encourages your thoughts to simmer until they’re done. As I go through this process, my goal is to reflect so that I might learn from successes and mistakes, discover what I should try to repeat, and determine what I should change. It is always a valuable exercise. By mentally visiting past situations, you can think with greater understanding.”
I encourage you in these early days of the New Year to take the time to exercise reflective thinking. I have written about this exercise before, but I want to reiterate the importance as we start the new year. In Mr. Maxwell’s book he suggests setting aside time for reflective thinking and removing all distractions. Find a quiet place, away from the children, turn electronics off and sit in a comfortable chair, or outside at a park and really think about your goals and the actions you have taken to reach your goals. What is working? What is not? What can you do to get better results? Do your goals, remain your goals? Do you have new goals you want to achieve?
For the next 30 days, take 30 minutes everyday and exercise reflective thinking. Put it in your schedule and make it happen. Start to write your thoughts in a journal so you can come back to them in the future. Make 2023 better than past years!
