The Importance of Self-Reflection
I am a regular customer to a friend's family bar. I visit the bar twice a week and only have 2 beers before leaving. I soon made friends with other regular customers.
There is this gentleman in his 60s who would sit in his regular seat and does not talk to anyone. He would quietly sip from his drink for at least 45 minutes. During this period, everyone in the bar leaves him alone. Finally, he would take a large gulp of his beer and start engaging with the rest of the group.
After nearly five years, I finally have the courage to ask why he meditates over his beer? He told me that he was not meditating over his beer. He was just reflecting over his day at his shop. He mainly thinks about his conversation with his staffs and his customers. To think whether he may have said something wrong or hurtful. He admitted that he grew up in the street, so he is very foul mouthed, he needs to stay on guard.
I started this blog is also a form of self-reflection. I did not want to write a private diary is because it is filled with negativity. Publishing my thoughts forces me to think about good things. The self-reflection has helped me in gaining an insight about myself. I still dislike myself, but I do my best to improve every day. Whenever I have writer's block, I told myself that I am not being honest with myself. There are just far too many things that I can do to improve my life, and I refuse to acknowledge it.
There are many ways to do self-reflection. My friend does it over a beer, while I do it by writing. The fundamental method still requires you to develop silence within yourself and let your thoughts run through your body. Self-reflection is like having a heart-to-heart conversation with yourself. When is the last time you had one?