What is self-reflection

First off, let’s start with the definition of self-reflection. Self-reflection is the process of evaluating and observing one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to gain insight and promote personal growth. It’s considered a fundamental human characteristic that begins in childhood and develops throughout life. So why did I want to talk about this? For me, it is a bit personal. For a lot of people in a similar situation, it is for them as well.

How adversity affects your self-view

I wanted to take the time to focus on a timely topic, one that is top of mind for a lot of people across the country. And especially for those in the tech industry. Rampant layoffs. The hardest part for most people, at least internally, is that it forces you to do a bit of self-reflection. Sure, there is going to be the day-to-day uncertainty of your finances, and the stresses of the job hunt and dealing with rejection. But ultimately when faced with a lay-off it forces you to look at past choices, and what got you here.

How you use self-reflection to move forward.

Blaming yourself entirely is not what I would consider healthy so it’s never a good idea to dwell on that. But It still forces you to prioritize a few things. Going back to the meaning of self-reflection, it starts with observing one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When removed from the normalcy of the day-to-day work week did you have a healthy relationship with yourself with what you’ve done? Have you done enough work that you feel proud of? 

Self branding is one outcome of your reflection

It’s questions like these that begin the process of getting to the true value of self-reflection. Gaining insight so that you can jump-start personal growth. With the increasing reality of competition for jobs, what can you do to stand out from the crowd? Working on your brand is a good place to start. You may have an idea of who you are, and what you represent but is that being communicated to someone else? Have you spent enough time learning about yourself, where your passions lie, what are your weaknesses, what are your strengths? If money was no object what would you get up every day looking forward to doing?

Moving forward

So where do you go from here? The next steps should involve coming up with a clear picture of the ‘you’ that you want to communicate to everyone else. Once you figure that out spend some time thinking about tangible ways to convey that story to the masses. Is it a custom website or video? Is it something you can build quickly and then update later? Whatever you decide remember that just like your life it’s a journey so enjoy the ride.