Reflect, Then Regroup
The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a good time to reflect, thinking carefully through what did work, what didn’t work and what you love to do before pushing the reset button to regroup. The beginning of a new season, like in March or late August, can also be a good time for this. It is important that successful business people take time for reflection. For example, take billionaire Warren Buffet. By his own estimate, Buffet has spent 80 percent of his career reading and thinking. Similarly, the faster and busier life gets for us, the more we need to build thinking and quiet reflection time into our schedules. It will help us regroup.
Some readers may be well-aware of the statistic that 80 percent of resolutions fail by mid-February. Nearly 45 percent of those failures are related to self-improvement or educational goals.* In relation to business, that failure rate has a huge impact as so many personal goals have a direct effect on professional objectives. Spending the time to reflect on the why can make all the difference in turning a failure into success.
When you reflect, you are able to better sift out the projects, people or things that are bringing confusion or drawing energy away from what is most important. Recently, I’ve been listening to Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Even though I’ve read it several times, listening to the audiobook has been inspiring for me to get rid of what I don’t really love.
Free of Clutter
When our surroundings are free of clutter, we tend to think clearer, be more focused and be more productive. I know this is true in my life. I hang on to way too many things, thinking I’ll use them someday. The fact that I have to move those things multiple times throughout the year takes up energy and brain space that could be more productively used in other places. Why not regroup items we truly enjoy?
To institute reflection into part of your strategic practices, begin with a thought, create a plan then commit to an action. With thoughtful reflection and solid plan of action, there is greater chance of a successful outcome. However, you have to make time in your schedule to reflect and think. It works best to actually schedule this time in your week. If you wait for inspiration to hit and a break in your schedule, you may never get to reflection time. Below are a few action points that will lead you to a place to start.
Five Action Points
Reflect then Regroup Action ONE: Define one or two areas that did not contribute this year to your success. You may have many of those areas but focus on just a couple to start.
Reflect then Regroup Action TWO: Sit and reflect until you can determine why they did not work? Don't get up until you can answer this question. It is vital to define what is not working so you can discover what will work.
Reflect then Regroup Action THREE: Identify one or two areas that did work well for you this year. Think of the positive aspects of what did work, even if those areas are small and seemingly insignificant.
Reflect then Regroup Action FOUR: Now become confident in why did they work? Pinpointing why they worked will help you build more positive steps.
Reflect then Regroup Action FIVE: Define one or two specific tasks that will build on what did work. Put at least one specific action down in your schedule that you will do this coming week.
Success Creates Momentum
If you are stuck and feeling lost at the start of a new push in your year or life, these five action points should help you move forward with at least one specific action you can do right away. I’m a strong believer in success creating more success with momentum. Those successes don’t need to be huge, but even the small steps can make a big difference in the months and year ahead as you reflect and regroup! Here’s to your success!
More articles that will help you:
*https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2018-01-05/how-to-make-big-health-gains-in-the-new-year(718 words)