Practising retrospection and introspection regularly is an indispensable skill for self-improvement, and it won’t cost you a bag of money. You are a living being who is constantly changing. It’s the result of your surroundings, the content you consume and the people you are exposed to daily.
Most of us can reflect, pick out what’s funky, and correct our actions. Making time for reflection helps you identify areas that need urgent improvement. Additionally, you get to see your success and celebrate them!
The word retrospect is derived from the Latin word retrospectum, meaning to look back. For instance, you can reflect on how you dealt with circumstances in the past few years. One could say this focuses mainly on your outward behaviour. What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them? Or how did they get the better of you?
During retrospection, prepare yourself to use constructive criticism for past actions. However, don’t allow the stuff you did wrong to define your whole self. The point of reflection is to improve. Please be aware of occurrences you had no control over that caused unhappiness. That’s a burden you don’t have to carry, so let go.
The word introspect means to look inward to evaluate one’s feelings or thoughts and to contemplate one’s inner self. Granted, this part requires all walls to be broken down so you have space to be completely vulnerable. It is ideal that you cultivate a safe space for yourself during introspection and are careful not to harshly criticise your weak points.
Therefore, checking in helps you see whether you are acting in accordance with your morals and beliefs because it’s so easy to fall off track and get influenced by stuff going on around us. None of this is to make you feel bad about who you are. We are all a constant work in progress, so also be careful not to waste time comparing your journey to others while you do this good work!
Also read: Understanding your emotions
Finally, this is the inner work that requires a chunk of compassion from you to you. Sadly, we’re all accustomed to being our greatest critics without showing ourselves compassion. Therefore, it is paramount that you see yourself through the lens of grace while you work on self-improvement.
Compassion requires you to see all your flaws as fertile ground that needs nurturing so that the seeds that make up your dreams and aspirations can be tended to for healthy growth. Furthermore, you will witness how Jesus walked with you through all your trials and triumphs, even when it didn’t feel that way sometimes.
Get tips from Charl on how to use introspection and retrospection to help you improve certain aspects of your life.
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