Self-reflection is immeasurable because it allows us to review and adjust our actions. Self-reflection is vital to growth as a human being who seeks improvement.

So why should we self-reflect?

• • Reflecting on our thoughts and behavior allows us to revisit what worked in a situation and what did not work. We can recognize what we have control over and what is out of our hands. Reflection is also great for identifying what triggers certain behaviors from us so we can repeat, avoid, or better prepare ourselves for them in the future.

• • We figure out how our behavior and mindset impact our execution, which allows us to gain knowledge that we can use to improve our skill set.

• • With self-reflection, we know what attributes and skills we lack, what our strengths are, and where we are average and could use improvement.

• • Self-reflection also allows us to celebrate what we have done right, even if the end goal doesn’t feel like success. In fact, as mothers, we tend to be very hard on ourselves and can focus on what we lack and have forgotten instead of seeing the positive in what we are doing. 

• • Self-reflection permits us to stop, rest, and enjoy our work. As mothers constantly try to plan and figure out the following steps, time to regroup is much needed.

Why self-reflection needs to be balanced:

It can be easy to find the negative in everything we do, but it is just as important, if not more important, to find the positives. For exponential growth, we must maintain balance in our self-reflection process. When we see what we have done right, we can motivate ourselves to continue improving.

 Finding the inspiration to move forward can be difficult if we constantly fail at everything and can’t do anything right. This can also cause us to feel unsure of where to start because everything is wrong.

 Imagine feeling like you are failing at everything in motherhood, but you only fail at getting enough sleep. Self-reflection will help you identify how you were doing well until your body was too exhausted and your patience grew thin. Even then, you were still a fantastic mom; you were tired and felt awful.

“As moms, we must be as gentle with ourselves as we are with our babies. Like them, we are adjusting to our changing hormones and healing bodies. So when we reflect on everything, we can improve and incorporate everything we do well.”

What questions should we ask ourselves to self-reflect?

Here are some basic questions to help kickstart your self-reflection process. If you are reading this in the comfort of your home or your car, you can read it aloud to yourself and answer them. 

But if you are a journaling fan, you pull out your journal, write the questions down, and then take the time to answer them. It’s also lovely to come back to them later and see how you have improved and what methods you have tried, just in case you forget.

Questions for self-reflection: 

1. 1. Describe the scenario or situation you are reflecting on. The scenario can be a day, event, or multiple-day trip. What happened during this time you are reflecting on?
   2. What was your desired outcome from this situation?
   3. Did the situation end how you expected or wanted it to? If so, how and why is that? If not, how and why is that?
   4. What did you do well in this situation?
   5. What could you have done differently?
   6. Overall, what will you continue to do to move forward, and what will you change?

How often should we self-reflect?

If you wonder how often you should self-reflect, the answer is daily. Of course, there are moments when you will have a more in-depth reflection about your life in general or the last week, month, year, or years, but self-reflection shouldn’t be a once-in-a-blue-moon event.

Every day, we should examine our actions and strive to repeat, remove, or add to them so that we can improve as human beings.

If you haven’t done so today, please reflect on your past week by answering the questions above in a journal. After you have completed the answer, make some goals for this coming week that you intend to put in place based on what you wrote down.