Often, just when success comes within our reach, a fear of the unfamiliar leads us to cling onto old, yet ultimately self-defeating, ways.
Let’s face it, most of us will outstay our time in the ‘comfort zone’, especially when faced with an unclear and uncertain future.
Yet, some people work well with this ambiguity and even thrive on it, quickly breaking out of their comfort zone (if they were ever in one!) and developing new paths forward.
Ever wonder how they do that?
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.Michael Garvey
The answer is simple: REFLECTION!
Would it surprise you to learn that the most successful people draw more from their experiences in the past than spending time thinking up new creative ways to achieve success?
Learning from the past helps them push on through their fears, move closer to their goals and on to bigger and better things.
Here are some questions you can use when reflecting, to help you draw out ideas from your past experiences:
- what can you appreciate about the experience?
- what could you have done differently?
- if you were to go through something like that again, how would you change your attitude?
- …and how would you behave differently?
- what would you teach others about your experience, so they may learn from what you have done?
- what advice would you give your younger self?
When you’ve asked those, ask some more until you have taken the learning and you’re able to apply it in your current situation.
Then….move on!
