Take Time to Ponder

With our busy lives and hectic schedules, it’s no wonder we take little time for ourselves. The constant demands can leave us feeling depleted and stressed. Time for reflection is essential to stay balanced in life and at work. And when growing your career or your business, self-reflection is essential to success.

It’s important to reflect on how you are feeling about your performance. I recently asked a trusted friend how I could improve my own performance. Her wise response was, “Take time to ponder.” In her view, spending time each week to view not only what went wrong but more importantly, what went RIGHT, is one key to a happy, successful career and life!

Here are some tips on taking time to ponder:

1. Set a “ponder” appointment each week

Reflect on your performance weekly. Deeply look at what you did WELL as well as what you are stuck on. Take time to review this in your mind over and over. Think of the behaviors or actions that created the positive performance. See how you can apply these behaviors to problem solving.

2. Discuss successes with a trusted colleague, friend or family member

Be willing to share your success with others. Choose people who truly listen and validate you. Sometimes it is very powerful to have your successes reflected back to you.

3. Learn from and don’t dwell on mistakes

We all make them! Our mistakes are often our greatest learning opportunities. Life and work are not perfect. Practice makes better. The goal is to improve on your last, best performance. Along the way, be open to being wrong and flexible in how you look at and solve problems. If being a leader or business owner were easy, everyone would do it.

4. Practice self-compassion

Often, we are our worst critics. This is not something to celebrate. When reflecting on your performance, the successes and the failures, be kind and compassionate to yourself. Treat yourself as you would a good friend who needs you. Practicing self-compassion is one of the best ways to reach success in your career and in life.

This month take a few minutes each week to reflect. Take time to ponder and truly review how well or not so well things are going. In time, this practice helps shape those behaviors that get you the life you want.

All my best,

Sandra