VLog #72 – The Benefits of Self Reflection

Video – VLog #72

What are some benefits of self reflection?

What is the importance of reflection?

What are 3 benefits of self-awareness?

Script – VLog #72

David Logan: Hello and welcome to another week of The Techno Dinosaur Meets the IT Geek Vlog 72.

David Logan: My name is David Logan the IT Geek. The guy who takes the jargon out of technology for you the viewer, make it work efficiently and seamlessly for the techno dinosaurs like the old git next door. Sorry Willie, so with me today is the Techno Dinosaur Willie Nicol.

David Logan: So, Willie how are you and where are you?

Willie Nicol: Thank you for that marvellous introduction David.

Willie Nicol: I am Willie Nicol the Techno Dinosaur so called because I am technologically challenged however, I am also a personal development Life Coach who helps people with their stuff to sort out their stuff and the likes. I am based in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.

David Logan: Fantastic Willie fantastic and my apologies for swearing there on the video.

David Logan: So Willie question for you this week. What are the benefits of self-reflection?

Willie Nicol: That is a very good question David and self-reflection is a good thing and has many benefits. You won’t be surprised that I did some research online, this topic was prompted by something that was said to me last week. So, what is self-reflection? Let me refer to my notes.

Willie Nicol: Self-reflection is taking the time to think about, evaluate and give serious thoughts to behaviours, thoughts, attitudes, motivations and desires. However that may be all well and good but how do we do it? Socrates apparently is quoted as saying the unexamined life is not worth living. Which I take to mean if we do not reflect on our own lives, if we do not take action to change things, it is a pretty poor show.

Willie Nicol: So, we should take time to pause, ponder and reflect but life is busy, we are on zoom calls, we are talking to clients, we are talking to friends and family, there is always something on Netflix we can binge watch and we do not take time out to just sit and have a think. Sit and reflect consider, what am I doing? Is it working? Is it not working? If it is not working, then what do I need to do to change it? If it is working, how well is it working or how could I improve it and that takes a bit of self-discipline, it takes a bit of work but it is very well worth doing. So exercising that discipline and having that will power if you like and we have and we have talked about will power before. To just stop, if it helps close your eyes and just have a think inside about where your life is going. Is it going well? Is it not going well? Could it be better? Could it be worse? Be thankful for the good things and try and disregard the bad things. So you might think this is a lot of mumble jumble, I had heard of that opinion.

Willie Nicol: You can go online and find many number of websites that talk about self-reflection and the benefits of it and how you do it and I’d consider our viewers do that. One of the best websites which we will probably add to the documentation on the website is worth taking this information from.

Willie Nicol: So as I have said if we don’t have self-reflection we simply kind of drift through life, doing what we have always done because we are use to it but without self-reflection we can end up with Einstein’s definition of madness. Which is doing the same thing over and over again in exactly the same way and expect to get a different outcome. It is like battering your head off a wall, it is great when you stop because it is sore if you keep doing it until you realise, I need to do this differently.

Willie Nicol: So a lack of personal reflection can maybe keep us in a job that we do not actually like, what we haven’t sat down or thought and reflected on, do I like this job? Do I want to stay in it? Could I get something better? Or it might keep us in a relationship that perhaps has run its course and we haven’t reflected on what we should be doing about it. Taking the time for self-reflection can be difficult because of all the demands on our time and there are some people who feel that sitting thinking about stuff is a waste of time. Let me assure you it is not. I do it quite frequently, not as frequently as I should which is a bad thing, but I am only human, so I do not beat myself up. We can then reflect on what truly matters to us instead of just doing what we do as a matter of course. What matters to us? Why do we do what we do?

Willie Nicol: It allows you to gain perspective meaning you think about how good, bad and different, big, small or whatever. What your doing is. So, is that a big issue or a small issue? Have you made a big issue out of a small issue? Self-refection will let you gain a bit of perspective on that. Also helps you respond more effectively. So when you self-reflect you have a think inside your head about something that is happening. It allows you to perhaps think about a better solution, a better outcome rather than just bashing on, getting on with it then wondering why it really didn’t go as well as you hoped. So get some perspective, get a more effective response and finally you’ll learn about yourself. You will learn about your situation; you will learn about what is happening round about you. You will be able to make better judgements, better decisions because you have reflected, you have thought about. You have cogitated a big word for thinking and you’ll end up with probably a more balanced, reasonable, perspective viewpoint, idea of where you are possibly more importantly where you want to end up.

Willie Nicol: I hope that has explained that, very very briefly what self-refection is and the benefits that self-refection can bring you. I hope that makes sense.

David Logan: It does indeed, yes that is great Willie thank you. One question, so would another word for this simple way, in simplistic terms be saying it is me time?

Willie Nicol: That could be one way of putting it. Me time I would more equate with if you like vegging out where you don’t actually think about anything. Where you are watching the telly or sitting about like I was doing yesterday in the sunshine getting a tan, it was lovely.

David Logan: Just thinking …

Willie Nicol: Just thinking but the self-reflection part on it is you are reflecting what is happening to your self.

David Logan: Yeah

Willie Nicol: Self-reflection your thinking is why is this happening, how is this happening? How frequently is it happening / could I make it happen differently, better, quicker, more effectively and you won’t get to that more optimum outcome by sitting twiddling your thumbs or by focusing too heavily on one particular thing. It is almost like a personal brainstorm. You have got ideas in your head and you’re analysing where you are, where you been, where do you want to go, how are you going to get there and who knows you might have that lightbulb moment where you go, oh there is the answer I have been looking for. Only because you have paused had bit of self-reflection and have come up with the ideal solution that may have been there all the time, but it has been hidden between all the busyness and all the kerfuffle and the routines of life that we get so keyed up in that we kind of forget to take a moment of pause to think.

David Logan: Ok great Willie, thank you. That is us for this week. To you the viewer if you want to know more, just give us a shout, comments down below or send us a message up above.

David Logan: Keep searching for our videos we do one every week. If you have got a question send it to us, contact us directly.

David Logan: So for now have a great week enjoy yourselves. I think we are going to have a good week weather wise I am going out now, Willie over to you.

Willie Nicol: Thank you David. Yes as David says. Viewers if you have any questions please get in touch with us we are more than happy to help. As I normally we say as a sign off, stay safe, stay well and remember have some fun. Goodbye for now.

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