Tag Archives: Reflection

How are you curating your quiet spaces?

July 10, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“The faster and busier things get, the more we need to build thinking time into our schedule. And the noisier things get, the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus.”

Greg McKeown

How do you feel when setting aside time to think? Do you feel guilty for not being busy? Are you distracted by thoughts that you are ‘missing’ something on one of the many digital devices that easily enslave us?

How about a quiet space? DO you have a place or routine that allows you to think without undue distractions? What does quiet ‘sound’ like for you? Is it mental peace and quiet or something more? Do you require physical separation from the noisy world?

We each have 168 hours or 10,080 minutes to invest each week. How many of those minutes are you able to intentionally spend in that quiet place doing the deep thinking required to enable long-term success? Be honest with yourself; if the answer is zero, how are you going to change the answer?

Distraction free zone…

March 10, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.”

Queen Elizabeth

Sometimes it is nice to simply drive with the car radio turned off (hmm, why exactly do we even call it a radio anymore anyway?!) and enjoy some quiet time to think and reflect. Taking a long drive can be my best opportunity to think and be disconnected from all the digital distractions that demand every spare second of our time.

How do you intentionally find time to pause and reflect before tearing into the next task or action? Do you have a distraction free zone that allows you to think clearly?

If you don’t find the time, then you are going to burn out, or find yourself performing at a sub-optimal level. You can’t run the engine at max RPM’s forever without the performance degrading. Take the time to pause and reflect, it’s worth it.

Pause, breathe, reflect, repeat…

February 15, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , , 1 Comment

“To live a life fulfilled reflect on the things you have with gratitude.”

Jaren L. Davis

One of the greatest benefits of pausing to be grateful is that it shifts the mind from focusing on what we perceive to be absent to what is actually present. To be aware of the present, and understand what a gift each moment is, is what cultivates a spirit of further gratitude.

Take a moment to pause and appreciate the most simple thing such as the beauty of a long deep breath. We can’t live without breathing but only rarely do we even notice the breath. Take a deep breath, let it out, ask yourself this question, “what is the thing that I am most grateful for right now?” Answer the question and carry that spirit of gratefulness into your day. It will change your life.

Reflection = Learning

January 18, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”

Peter Drucker

I might amend this quote to say “follow action with quiet reflection.” There is just so much value that comes from taking the time to simply think about what happened and what one can learn from any action, whether it was successful or not.

I had a rare and wonderful privilege today to take time and sit and think about leader ship, growth, and ways to become a more effective leader. It was time that was wonderfully well spent and very enlightening.

I would highly encourage anyone to be very intentional with the practice of active reflection and intentional learning. It will not happen by accident or simply through desire it must be intentional. This means that it must be scheduled and followed through on with the same discipline that one would treat any other meeting.

If you don’t practice reflection then growth and learning is left to chance and circumstance. That doesn’t seem like a very good deal to me.

New Year’s Eve Reflection…

December 31, 2018 By in Leadership Tags: , , 1 Comment

“There we both sat and rested for a while, facing the rising sun the way we’d climbed, for looking back can sometimes help you on.”

Dante

On December 31st of each year I like to sit, preferably by a fire, and simply reflect on the year that is just ending and contemplate what is coming in the new year. I find that thinking through the goals and objectives I have for the coming year framed through the lens of the year just ending provides remarkable clarity and insight.

One of my favorite exercises on New Year’s Eve is to think about what I would like to be thinking about and reflecting on as a key success next year on 12/31. The question I specifically like to reflect on is: “What specific things must I accomplish in the next 12 months to make the year a success?  “Next year on 12/31 what do I want to have accomplished or completed?”

I hope everyone has a very safe, happy and prosperous New Year!

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dusty

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