Lookie!! What we see when we reflect

“Upon reflection, I see where I’ve gone right. Upon reflection, I see where I’ve gone wrong. Upon reflection, I recognize I’ve taken a number of leaps of faith - BIG, HUGE ones (yay me!) Upon reflection, I see myself in my parents, friends and family members. Upon reflection, I see myself in my children’s eyes.” ~ TLC We see parts of ourselves in everyone we meet, even when we meet someone we don’t care for much. So, rather than have visceral reactions to people who rub us the wrong way, we can ask ourselves what we see in them that bothers us, and if there is something we can learn to change or appreciate about ourselves in a different way.

I love this word: reflection. I love it because we can think, muse and take a look in the proverbial mirror. What do you see when you look in the mirror?

We can even reflect verbally. When someone’s words feel critical, how do you respond? Do you feel tension in your body? When you answer, do you get defensive? Rather than react, you can reflect: “Hmm...” (My favorite word!) “I’m hearing you say that you don’t appreciate (X) about the way I answered. Is that true?” Often people simply aren’t aware of their tone, but sometimes people passively, or not so passively, behave in an aggressive manner. When this is the case and you reflect back what you’ve heard, you are in a great position to possibly help someone learn something while protecting yourself and your integrity.

Do not engage. Just don’t...

A good friend taught me the “Q-TIP Method” of disengaging: Quit Taking It Personally. I use it a lot with my kids, and have learned that when there are people who seem hell-bent on sharing their opinions in ways that might not feel good to me, I think to myself, "Q-TIP!" and am able to smile inside and take a breath.

So, going back to when you say, “Hmmm,” know that you are effectively giving yourself a moment to switch to Q-TIP mode and disengage. Then, if you choose to reflect to the other person, you can do it in a way that is not offensive or rude; you are simply reflecting back what they’ve said to you.

Another method of reflection mirrors the thought for the week - consider this when observing nature outdoors, your own nature and that of others. Let your observation be diligent, your reflection profound and your experiments exact (in other words, take your time, observe, think, come up with a plan and THEN move forward).

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

“Our observation of nature must be diligent, our reflection profound, and our experiments exact. We rarely see these three means combined: and for this reason, creative geniuses are not common.” ~ Denis Diderot

I wish you the best week as you learn to enjoy your reflection, use the Q-TIP Method and create the best, most passion-filled life you ever dreamed of.

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.