JANUARY 5 • TRUE LEADERSHIP
Time to Reflect
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13:5
Talk about reflection! The Apostle Paul is calling those receiving his letter to examine themselves to see if they pass or fail salvation! How much more reflective can you get? In the same way, we need to reflect often to see if we passed of failed at something. Or, more than likely, if we accomplished something or not… or how well we did at something.
I have several clients (and some friends) that use the last week of the year to reflect seriously on the past year. They look at what they did over the last year that was advantageous to their goals and plan more of that for the upcoming year, while listing those things that were a detriment to their goals and planning those things out! Taking the time to write it down solidifies it and makes it real — and forces you to deal with it instead of just letting it flounder (like a fish out of water or horse caught in the mire).
An annual check-up from the neck-up is a good practice. And to a similar degree we should do quarterly, monthly, weekly and even daily reflection. For five minutes at the end of each day, write down three things: 1) what good happened today that I want to do more of tomorrow? 2) what bad happened today that I never want to do again! and 3) in each area, what should I do immediately and specifically to ensure the action needed? Writing it down gives it power to accomplish. Keep a Journal or Diary so you can reflect on your reflections! Do it every day. Five minutes a day will help you deal with all the issues in your life quickly before they fester and cause bigger issues. Reflection is one of the top leadership tools you can use to grow yourself and others.
Pray: Lord, give me the heart and mind to reflect daily on the things you brought into my life — either good or bad — and help me determine the best course of action to deal with each one! Oh, and remind me to call my parents often and tell them I love them! And if I don’t love them, teach me to love them! And if my parents are gone, help me love some other older folks!
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