Self-reflection, here are some synonyms: self-contemplation, self-examination, self-observation,self-questioning, self-reflection, self-scrutiny, self-searching, soul-searching.
All of these words begin with the same thing, YOU. As we venture into our 180 day journey, it will be extremely important to remember who you’re going through this process for. Time and time again we get started with the school year and have lofty dreams and aspirations for our students, then we miss a goal we’ve previously set. You have many choices once you realize that you’ve “missed the mark”, but what will help you make a good decision?
Self-reflection during this process will help us be able to examine and re-examine the goals we set and the progress we make. As I mentioned before, setting the goal is easy, but what you do next is crucial. This process of self reflection will help you move through the following steps while progressing.
- Stop and think about it. Often times we get so caught up in our jobs that we forget about our life. We are human, we fail, we flourish, we make things happen. Trust me, whatever you didn’t get accomplished you can loop into the next goal and here’s your time to figure that out! Think of all the times you’ve been pressed to finish curriculum and you just don’t know how you’re going to manage…but you do! We figure out ways to review while introducing new information or introduce new information in a fun yet streamlined manner. This same strategy works for our lives, but we just have to stop and think about it.
- Move on. Ok, you’ve missed the mark. Own it. Was your goal too lofty? Is there a smaller more attainable goal that you can set as you move on to the next task? If so, move on! Don’t get caught up in failure. You were late to work, don’t harp on it! Move on and let’s set a goal that you’ll leave the house five minutes earlier the following day. Not only will this remove self-doubt, but it will also give you a goal to replace the “failure”.
- Don’t stop. Now you’ve thought about it, decided to move on, and you’re ready. Don’t stop! Don’t EVER stop! Stopping is like the wall inertia needs to stop an object in motion. You’re in motion and as long as you’re in motion, you’re going to continue until something stops it. Don’t let yourself be the reason you stop. Your principal criticized your lessons or classroom progress, don’t stop! Go back to step 1 & 2 and DON’T STOP!
As you move back into your daily routine and begin to map out goals for this year, don’t be afraid to set a lofty goal. Once you’ve begun the journey, failure doesn’t mean you haven’t been successful. Failure means that you’ve tried something, may not have been successful, but you now have the opportunity for self-reflection and to make it happen. Your progress is “an object in motion”, don’t let failure be the object that stops you use self-reflection to keep you moving!