Our personality is in a constant process of change. Sometimes it is all the more difficult for us to understand our actions and thoughts. Self-reflection is a real game changer.
What do I really want? A question that each and every one of us has certainly asked ourselves at some point. Finding an answer to this question is anything but easy. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that we are constantly changing in the course of our lives – and with it what we want from life. And then, thanks to the constant employment of everyday work, the Internet and leisure time stress, we often find it difficult to really question ourselves.
Regular self-reflection can demonstrably enrich our lives. Those who regularly question themselves, their thoughts and feelings and their actions not only make better decisions, but can also communicate and assert their values, limits and needs more clearly and pursue their goals and dreams more purposefully – because they know them.
Self-reflection can increase our productivity
“First and foremost, you should invest in yourself. It’s the only investment that pays off a thousand times over,” said billionaire Warren Buffett a few years ago. At the time, he spoke primarily of an investment in success. An effect of self-reflection that has now even been scientifically proven.
Researchers Francesca Gino and Gary Pisano at Harvard University were able to prove with a study that daily reflection on professional and personal success can increase our productivity. Regularly questioning ourselves can lead to us changing our behavior – and for the better.
Self-reflection needs one thing above all: time
A similar effect is also possible with negative feelings: If we are used to reflecting on ourselves, then we do not accept fears and worries so easily and can deal with them better. In the long run, self-reflection allows us to better control our impulses and really learn from our mistakes instead of repeating them over and over again.
However, it is important for self-reflection to ask yourself the right questions and really take the time to think about them intensively. And there are questions that every one of us should ask ourselves in order to get to know ourselves better. The following 15 pieces are definitely one of them.
15 questions each of us should ask ourselves
- Who am I when nobody is watching?
- What kind of person do I want to have been?
- Which people are really important to me in life?
- What do I get up for every morning?
- What does success mean to me?
- what is my biggest dream
- What is stopping me from fulfilling it?
- Which values are important to me – and why?
- What am I good at and what not?
- Am I a good friend?
- How do I actually find myself?
- Am I afraid of death?
- How important are money, love and friendship in my life?
- What was the best moment of my life?
- If I could start over – what would I do differently?
Forget the ideal image of personality
Of course, this is just an inspiration of questions we can ask ourselves to understand ourselves a little better. It is important to approach self-reflection with an open mind and try to be honest with yourself. We often answer the relevant questions the way we would like to be, instead of the way we really think.
So try to put aside your ideal personality and embrace who you really are. This is the only way you can find out what is really good for you and what you want from life. Because it’s like the great philosopher Seneca once said: “If you don’t know the harbor you want to sail to, no wind is right for you.”
Source: Stern
