“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.”

Proverbs 4:7

What Is Self-Reflection?

To gain wisdom and insight, one must be willing to turn within. Self-reflection means taking a personal inventory of where you are now and looking back on how far you’ve come in gaining wisdom and understanding.

Creating a Self-Reflection Habit

Every day presents opportunities to examine ourselves and determine where we’ve come from and how far we have to go to fulfill our true purpose.

We often reserve such opportunities for looking back on the past year to determine what we want to leave behind and what we desire to bring forward. However, there is no need to wait for the calendar to change.

Ways to Use Self-Reflection to Build a Life

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Socrates

As we assess where we are in comparison to where we’ve been, it is important to recognize that every experience—good, bad, or ugly—has brought us to the here and now.

In looking back, we see all that we have to be grateful for and recognize any need to change direction or to change our attitude going forward.

The wisdom and understanding you gain from experience will enable you to make the adjustments necessary to arrive at your next destination.

Self-Reflection: An Exercise

In “The Power of Self-Reflection,” author Michael Woronko invites us to ask ourselves questions to find out what’s going on within us and to stay focused on our purpose.

  1. Am I using my time wisely?
  2. Am I taking anything for granted?
  3. Am I employing a healthy perspective?
  4. Am I living true to myself?
  5. Am I waking up in the morning ready to take on the day?
  6. Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?
  7. Am I putting enough effort into my relationships?
  8. Am I taking care of myself physically?
  9. Am I letting matters that are out of my control stress me out?
  10. Am I achieving the goals I set for myself?

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change your attitude about it.”

Maya Angelou