There is a beautiful spiral staircase analogy that describes our journey through life. It says we start at the bottom, and as we move up the staircase we eventually find ourselves at the same point, but raised up to the next level. The idea is that as we walk through life we go through different experiences, and we come back to the same thoughts and ideas but with new information. As we do that we rise and grow and become fuller, taller, and more aware.
And that is the key piece here – becoming more aware about what we are learning as we journey through. To come through challenges, trials and tribulations and then not to reflect and understand what happened and what has changed for us is seriously missing the opportunity for growth.
Taking time to reflect and think about what we’ve achieved and what we are creating is a crucial part of building resilience. Talking experiences through with friends or colleagues, or writing about something that has happened allows us to process and see which strategies and approaches worked for us and which ones didn’t.
If we don’t take the time to reflect and consider all that we are doing we end up stuck part way up the staircase, stuck in old habits that don’t serve us and don’t help us to grow.
So take some time today to reflect, look back over the past year and analyse what worked, what can be improved upon, what you want to do differently.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
*Image by Lynne MacMath