Reflection connection: reflecting on goals can help you succeed

We’re nearly halfway through the year. How’s it going? Are you making progress toward the goals you set for yourself? Now’s a great time to revisit what you’d like to accomplish. Let’s talk about how the practice of reflection can help you get to where you’d love to be.

Stop and think it over

We live in a fast-paced society. It can be easy to go from one thing to the next without thinking about what we’re doing or why. Reflection calls us to stop and ponder our motives and actions.¹ It can also help us become lifelong learners.

Reflect on your goals to:

• See how you’ve grown. It can be easy to get so caught up in our day-to-day activities that we forget how far we’ve come.
• See what you value. Self-reflection is your opportunity to take a good look at your experiences. It’s also a way to see if how you think and feel has changed over time.¹
• See what you need to adjust for success. Chances are, as you look at how you’ve grown and at what you value, you may want to edit your goals. It’s not only OK to change them up, but it can help you in the long run. It’s the fine-tuning that keeps your goals in step with you as you continue to become your best.

Ready, set, reflect!

Try a proven method

You may want to start practicing reflection using a simple method like the ERA² model. ERA stands for experience, reflection and action. In short, you experience something. Then you reflect upon it. Lastly, you act based on what you learned during reflection. You can practice ERA over and over again to:

• Strengthen your self-reflection skills
• Build self-awareness
• Be more purposeful with your time and energy²

Schedule goal check-ins

Put dates on your calendar to check in on your progress. Make the time between your check-ins long enough that you’ve had time to advance. But also make them frequent enough that you keep your focus.

Celebrate your milestones

Begin by thanking yourself. Gratitude can motivate us toward self-improvement.³ As you reflect, look back at all you’re thankful for since setting your goal. Then, consider rewarding yourself for your hard work. Use your reward as a carrot to help keep you motivated. You choose your reward. It could be new clothes to reward a weight-loss goal. Or new workout gear to reward a fitness goal.

Remember your motivation

It’s safe to say we all want to be better. But why? If you want to be better at regular exercise, why is that? Is it so you have more energy throughout the day? Or is it so you can play with your kids or grandkids? Knowing your why can fuel you to move forward.

Need help finding your why? Ask yourself what you value. What inspires you? Who inspires you? If you’re not sure where to start with your self-discovery or just want to bounce some ideas off someone else, try our mental health support.