When you were little did you own a diary?  Maybe it was one with hearts on the front that came complete with a key so that no one could steal it (and read about your crush at the time).  Or was that just me?  😉

The great thing about having a diary, a journal, or taking pictures is that it gives us something to look back on.  We can look back at what we wrote in our journals two or three years ago and see how much we’ve grown-how we were able to work out a problem or gain perspective about who we are and what we value. 

In wellness coaching, we work with clients on creating their Wellness Vision, so they can know what they want to pursue in terms of their health journey, and how to know when they’ve accomplished certain things along the way.  It’s a helpful way to make a map for the future and to highlight steps they can take to reach their goals.

However, if we’re only focused on pursuing the next step, or the next goal, we can forget to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come.  This reflection (just like looking through an old diary or journal) can provide us with three very beneficial things:

We find proof that we really are.

Whether it’s the pursuit of our health goals or other goals in life, it can be easy to think we aren’t making any progress, especially when we’re in the thick of things.  Reflection is almost like viewing our lives from an outsider’s perspective.  We’re able to see examples of how we’ve overcome in the past, and to see how much we’ve actually grown and changed for the better.  Reflection can give us the encouragement and self-efficacy we need to keep on keeping on.

 

We gain insight on the trajectory of our lives.

Sometimes, even in the midst of pursuing goals, we lose sight of how this very moment fits into the larger picture of our lives.  Pausing to reflect on the past allows us to better see the full trajectory of our lives and gives us a greater understanding of the importance of what we do today.

We’re able to determine where we want to go next.

As we reflect on the past and see how much we’ve grown, and we gain insight into how our present moment fits into the story of our lives, we can once again set our sights on our future goals.  In light of what we’ve learned from reflection, we can have a better idea of what we’d like to pursue next.

As we begin to understand the importance of reflection, there are a couple of practical things we can think about if we want to incorporate this practice into our health journeys (or lives!).  The first is finding time to reflect.  Easier said than done, I know.  But if we recognize that reflecting can actually help us pursue our goals, it may be a motivator for us to find a little time do this.  Remember – a little goes a long way!  Try an online journal like Penzu that lets you write on any device, or an app like Headspace that teaches you to meditate and reflect.  Or, schedule a date with yourself for a few minutes each month to see how far you’ve come and reset any goals for the future.

This leads us to the second practical thing:  resetting our goals.  As we discuss Wellness Visions with our coaching clients, we revisit that vision every so often to see if anything has changed.  It’s okay to realize that what we thought were once our goals actually aren’t that important to us, and to replace them with things that we really do value.  Reflection is one tool to help us know whether or not we’re pursuing goals we really want to pursue.

 

As you reflect back on your health journey, what are some ways you’ve seen yourself grow?  Has reflecting led you to change any of your health goals?

Written by Brittni Paris, SFC Blogger and Wellness Coach

 

Photo Credits:

Photo by Milos Tonchevski on Unsplash

Photo by Luke Carliff on Unsplash

Photo by Jose Escobar on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

When you were little did you own a diary?  Maybe it was one with hearts on the front that came complete with a key so that no one could steal it (and read about your crush at the time).  Or was that just me?  😉

 

The great thing about having a diary, a journal, or taking pictures is that it gives us something to look back on.  We can look back at what we wrote in our journals two or three years ago and see how much we’ve grown-how we were able to work out a problem or gain perspective about who we are and what we value.

 

 

In wellness coaching, we work with clients on creating their Wellness Vision, so they can know what they want to pursue in terms of their health journey, and how to know when they’ve accomplished certain things along the way.  It’s a helpful way to make a map for the future and to highlight steps they can take to reach their goals.

 

However, if we’re only focused on pursuing the next step, or the next goal, we can forget to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come.  This reflection (just like looking through an old diary or journal) can provide us with three very beneficial things:

 

1. We find proof that we really are

 

Whether it’s the pursuit of our health goals or other goals in life, it can be easy to think we aren’t making any progress, especially when we’re in the thick of things.  Reflection is almost like viewing our lives from an outsider’s perspective.  We’re able to see examples of how we’ve overcome in the past, and to see how much we’ve actually grown and changed for the better.  Reflection can give us the encouragement and self-efficacy we need to keep on keeping on.

 

 

2. We gain insight on the trajectory of our lives.

 

Sometimes, even in the midst of pursuing goals, we lose sight of how this very moment fits into the larger picture of our lives.  Pausing to reflect on the past allows us to better see the full trajectory of our lives and gives us a greater understanding of the importance of what we do today.

 

 

3. We’re able to determine where we want to go next.

 

As we reflect on the past and see how much we’ve grown, and we gain insight into how our present moment fits into the story of our lives, we can once again set our sights on our future goals.  In light of what we’ve learned from reflection, we can have a better idea of what we’d like to pursue next.

 

 

As we begin to understand the importance of reflection, there are a couple of practical things we can think about if we want to incorporate this practice into our health journeys (or lives!).  The first is finding time to reflect.  Easier said than done, I know.  But if we recognize that reflecting can actually help us pursue our goals, it may be a motivator for us to find a little time do this.  Remember – a little goes a long way!  Try an online journal like Penzu that lets you write on any device, or an app like Headspace that teaches you to meditate and reflect.  Or, schedule a date with yourself for a few minutes each month to see how far you’ve come and reset any goals for the future.

 

This leads us to the second practical thing:  resetting our goals.  As we discuss Wellness Visions with our coaching clients, we revisit that vision every so often to see if anything has changed.  It’s okay to realize that what we thought were once our goals actually aren’t that important to us, and to replace them with things that we really do value.  Reflection is one tool to help us know whether or not we’re pursuing goals we really want to pursue.

 

 

As you reflect back on your health journey, what are some ways you’ve seen yourself grow?  Has reflecting led you to change any of your health goals?

 

 

 

 

Photo Credits:

Photo by Milos Tonchevski on Unsplash

Photo by Luke Carliff on Unsplash

Photo by Jose Escobar on Unsplash