Healthy Introspection

Igniting Purpose with Action

Have you ever paused and asked yourself, “What am I doing with my life?”  Was there ever a moment when you noticed that everything around you seemed in motion, even you, but you weren’t certain of where you were heading? 

If you can relate to this, I want you to trust that you are in the perfect place. Being in alignment with change begins with thoughts and questions that expose potential discontentment or an intense passion for more out of life. I have learned that active change starts with understanding that transformation is necessary and not totally comfortable.

This beautiful space is called introspection and it is the healthiest experience we can allow for ourselves. According to the dictionary, introspection is to look within; to inspect; a close examination of one's own thoughts, emotions, and feelings. To maximize this, we must be open minded without becoming defensive when identifying key factors that could strengthen the revolution to our best selves. However, some factors do not always feel good. When you are analyzing your own insecurities and unfavorable habits that are restraining you from reaching the pinnacle of happiness and success, the process can be painful or deter us from pushing through. Facing fears, admitting to our wrong-doing and eliminating poor behavior requires a high degree of humility and patience.

Nevertheless, as a life coach for over ten years, I have witnessed the rewards of individuals owning up to the challenge and taking leadership in their own lives. The easy road is not typically the path that gets you the furthest in life. When you put in the work to improve how you value yourself, how you build relationships, and how you remove the stumbling blocks, the results can be enriching in every aspect of your life and even for those connected to you.

Here are some tips to get you started toward creating and meeting a better you as you work through introspection. 

¨Commitment:  Be committed to your advancement.  A good way to measure your level of commitment is to take a deeper look at how you make or break commitments to others. For improvement, start small by making daily commitments that are ideally obtainable. Such as, working out for 20 minutes, making a phone call to a long-distance friend, or just spending 15-minutes reading a motivational book. Devoting a little time toward your goals is better than no time at all. Where in your lifestyle do you need and want to see more commitment? Remember, to break bad habits you must create good habits. Taking small steps will help to build on consistency that aligns with your level of commitment which will inevitably bring lasting results. Get started. Stick to it.

Open Honesty:  It is even more difficult to see positive changes in your life when you are not truthful to yourself about the characteristics and areas that need to be refined, adjusted, or even eradicated from your lifestyle. Can you admit to yourself when you need help? Are you willing to let others know when you just don’t have it figured out? 

We put unnecessary pressure on ourselves by striving to live up to expectations that are not realistic or healthy for our current knowledge base or ability. You can have the internal desire to fix that anger problem, stop spending money excessively or refrain from negative self-talk, yet still be fully clueless as to how to and where to start. The conundrum is often in the “how”.

The tip here is to just be honest with yourself. When you confess truth, there is a relief that comes with that and you stop running around trying to convince others of what you ultimately do not know. Relieve yourself of the pressure and start new. No more expectations but a refreshing start to learn more about yourself, researching and applying what you need to do. Keep in mind, being realistic does not mean to limit yourself or doubt the possibilities. Be honest with yourself all while setting high goals for your life. The key is giving yourself grace to grow into the full vision of those goals. For example, if you have a lifegoal to complete a full marathon of 26 miles but you are not a runner, it’s likely you aren’t going to begin without training. You may even start by participating in a short marathon of six miles to gauge your ability and properly prepare for what it takes to successfully finish 26 miles. Set high goals but remember to be honest about the process.

Take Action:  Make a list of the areas in which you want to improve and give serious attention to.  Beside each item be sure to give yourself a completion date. For instance, if you have a dream to start your own business, but you are not sure where to start, then maybe your first task is to research “how to start a business”.  This goal could be listed as, “Spend 30-minutes researching how to start a business within the next five business days”. Give yourself a completion date that is practical yet also works to strengthen your time management skills.  We often do this for our daily jobs and others but neglect to write our desires down for what we wish to accomplish in our personal lives.

Remember, introspection is a healthy part of the process toward purpose. When you take action, it also means you must avoid making excuses as to why not, but instead, make excuses as to why you should. Now, let’s win!

If you have a new goal or task you want to finish, share it with us to ignite confidence and accountability. 

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