To reflections and introspections…

 

As luck will have it, I clicked this perfect revelant picture, just a day before penning the post...

I will like to start this post with a question, “Do you know yourself?” Now while it may seem as an extremely obvious question, considering we know ourselves after spending so much time every step of the way, yet can we be totally convinced of its surety? Or let me put it the other way around. Are we sure of what runs in our mind without the need to introspect? Do we take ourselves for granted and assume there is no need for reflecting over some of our own thoughts? Is it necessary to pause from time and time to know what lies within? And finally, do you believe in the power of self-improvement?

Though I am waiting to put forth my thoughts about the significance of self-reflection or introspection to turn into a better version of ourselves, I understand that there cannot be black or white ways of dealing with our ideas. Whether it is important to pause our life for a moment to see if things are turning the way we want it to be or whether it is essential to simply continue the daily drill; the truth is much of the introspection happens in the background without our concrete realization. As humans, we are capable of creating tons of thoughts that may not mean anything if we sit to analyze them. Much of the thought process is similar to some background noise that does nothing productive. 

Our mind has an exceptional time-travelling ability that can take us into past or future thoughts, but when we actually want it to focus on the present with the aim of improvement, it may choose otherwise. The underlying purpose of reflection or introspection is not to sit with an agenda of thinking about everything that goes wrong or congratulating ourselves for any form of achievement. It is to be self-aware that we need to pause and look for an update of some sort.

We tend to take ourselves for granted. We seem to know everything and we seem to be good in everything we do. There is no scope for improvement if we fail to look beyond our pre-conceived notions. Honest review of yourself by yourself can make you realize that some ideas of your behavior may not be what you wanted them to be. Or the tendency of flowing from day to day takes us away from the need to pause, think, analyze and act. Our nature is determined by the nature of circumstances around us. Different situations make or break our understanding of the well-known concepts of life. What you believe to be ideal may not hold true in the light of certain events. On the other hand, it may be necessary to adapt to changing situations with a new mindset. Reflection is about such an idea of self-analysis. If change is the only constant, maybe we may need to change some of our thoughts in the process.

We cannot know everything that is good for us right from the start. It is important to test our own ideas from time to time. I am not talking about major personality changes that are designed for external appearances. Rather the need to look within and see the significance of improving ourselves. Just as we learn new things in the path of our career, work, lifestyle or usual routine, we also need to recognize the value of our thoughts. Reflect over what makes you happy, reflect on that one change you want to see in yourself. Because if you believe there is scope for improvement, there is definitely a scope for happier times. 

We allow ourselves to believe that our nature is carved in stone with everything predetermined from the start. But the truth is we have the power to surprise ourselves as we introspect into the deeper pockets of our mind. We should be able to make room for improvements, while spending some quiet moments with our thoughts. We may not succeed necessarily. We may end up making resolutions only to forget about it the next day like most of the New year resolutions every single year. But we cannot limit the process of self-growth. To progress is to recognize ourselves. To be happy, we must be able to understand what our mind wants. Only after we introspect, do we realize what good or bad comes out of our view towards life. 

One trick that may help in the process of self-reflection is to stay clear of judgements. Do not take a judgmental approach on your mind. It may only make it difficult to accept your faults or shortcomings with a clear lens. We are definitely not perfect in any or every way. We undoubtedly need millions of self-reminders to avoid repetitive mistakes or follow patterns of errors as always. 

There is no harm if you fail your self-improvement measures. But there is harm if you cannot stay true to yourself. It is often said facing yourself in the mirror is a difficult task if you cannot make peace between your thoughts and actions. If there is a wide gap between what you think is good for you and what you actually do, you may have to rethink quite often. And that is how reflections work. Introspect often, it is a tool to clear your mind of preconceived notions and start resolving for improvements.

At the end, I will leave you with one note. Will you rather cheat yourself into believing that you know everything it is to know about yourself or will you stop for frequent reflections because let’s face it we do learn something new every day. And if we do learn something, why not include ourselves as the subject too?