Reflect Before You Act
In my youth, I began to take a moment after everything I said, did, or was a part of — to think about what happened, what I could have been, done, or said differently.
This practice allows me to see things not from the perspective of controlling the situation, but more specifically how I act or react to what is happening or being said or done.
While it is never perfect, after every scenario and conversation I almost always take a few seconds to reflect — whether it is the end of the day or that same moment as we wrap up and move on to the next thing.
This has taught me that I am never going to approach the optimal, or the place where I want to be, but it allows me to continue to improve on my way to where I want to go.
And it allows me to rethink what was said, whether it was what I said, or what someone else said, or what was done by me or someone else — or what I observed.
I consider how I might have been better in the words used, the scenario we were in, the place we were standing, and so on.
One example I utilize is receiving feedback after delivering a program. What I’ve noticed is that when feedback is given, people sometimes engage in an explanation of what or why they did what they did or said.
