Meditation is intermittent fasting for the mind. Too much sugar leads to a heavy body, and too many distractions lead to a heavy mind. Time spent undistracted and alone, in self-examination, journaling, meditation, resolves the unresolved and takes us from mentally fat to fit.
~ Naval Ravikant
Today’s message is not really a prompt like the previous 60. Alas, we’ve reached the terminus of our journey of small steps practicing reflection.
Thank you for being awesome!
I created this series by taking my personal collection of self-reflection prompts and forming them into these blog posts. Next, I wrote the three getting-started posts to ease you into the daily routine. Finally, I came up with a theme for each of the 8 weeks and wrote short additions that appeared below the main sequence of prompts. These additions carry the through-line of teaching self-reflection. (…or at least, I hope they did.)
Here are all the additional parts in one place:
Creating space
Remember: 2 minutes. Pause life. Read. Think. Resume life.
Many of the prompts I’m sharing have been chosen from the generous gifts given me by others. When I’m explicitly quoting, they are attributed (as above.)
2 minutes: Pause life. Read. Think. Resume life.
Perhaps you’ve already begun to look forward to your two minutes of reflection?
2 minutes: Pause life. Read. Think. Resume life.
Have you considered adding some physical ritual to your reflection? Perhaps taking three deep, slow breaths before the reading, or … If you decide to try something, don’t go crazy; just something very small and easy. Or not. That’s fine too.
2 minutes: Pause life. Read. Think. Resume life.
Habit
Everything you do is initiated by triggers. “X” happens to me, so then I do “Y.” Creating a new habit is difficult because we don’t realize we need to attach it to a trigger.
Trigger. New habit.
You’re using the arrival of this email as your trigger. Do you recall that I mentioned on day one that I was introducing you to being reflective upon being prompted?
Trigger. New habit.
Today’s a good day to look closely at the trigger you’re experiencing. There are always ways you can change a trigger. Tinker—if not for real, then at least as a thought experiment—with changing the daily trigger for this journey.
Trigger. New habit.
One day, these triggers from me will end. To what trigger under your control could you attach this nascent habit of self-reflection?
Reflection
Reflection is about self-focus. Each day you’re practicing holding up a mirror. Specifically, you’re observing your thoughts, in response to a prompt.
It’s not necessary to move beyond simply observing our thoughts. Simply practicing _observing_ your thoughts will make you more aware of your thoughts.
Our practice of reflection is an explicitly inward-facing activity. We’re repeatedly, intentionally being aware.
Reflection. Inward-facing. Intentional awareness of our own thoughts.
A good mirror shows an accurate image. A fun-house mirror shows a distorted image. How is your reflection on your own thoughts?
Having now spent at least 46 minutes in self-reflection and practicing awareness of your own thoughts— …any change in daily lived life? …any change in your relationships? No right answers, simply awareness.
Are you surprised by your thoughts’, and your mind’s, complexity? Are you amazed? Are you empowered?
Awareness
We’ve been developing our awareness via self-reflection. What happens if we turn our awareness outward?
Were there any moments yesterday when you suddenly—it can be quite jarring the first few times—became aware that you were _aware_ of your own thoughts?
You are using a trigger to practice reflection. Is there anything in your day that resembles the reflection trigger? Opportunities where you could reflect spontaneously?
We’re about halfway. Poke your head out of your private journey of practicing reflection and quietly take some guesses about how reflective are the people around you. No judging; recall day one’s message about self-improvement not being zero-sum.
If you encountered even one moment yesterday where you realized someone else could be more reflective: Visualize that moment you experienced… and imagine slowly raising a hand mirror into that perspective—so you see your own reflection appear on top of that person.
Are there moments in your day when you realize you are aware that you are observing something outside yourself? If so— If you are aware you are observing, can you use that as a trigger to look inward and reflect on your own thinking?
Awareness of our inward experience, and our outward experience, is the same. It’s the same awareness. These past few days, we’ve taken our awareness on a brief field trip outside ourselves. For the rest of our little journey here, we’ll remain looking inward.
Journaling
How good is your memory? What’s the first food you had after waking eleven days ago? Perhaps, your memory isn’t _that_ good. How about something you are currently interested in: 11 days ago, did you have any insights from your morning reflection?
Everything about this journey is, of course, optional. But I want you to find paper and pencil/pen. Don’t over-think that, and don’t try to use something digital. Grab any paper and any pen, and have them handy for tomorrow’s reflection.
Remember that paper? Write the first thought that comes to mind, when I say, write the first thought that comes to mind. You’re done.
Today, write the first and second thought. It really, truly, does not matter what the thoughts are. Please try writing them down. Put the paper away until tomorrow.
I’m not even asking that look back at what you’ve written. Simply write a couple thoughts, (or more than a couple, if you wish.)
And write _several_ thoughts down today…
Now look back through your week of notes. Maybe write a few notes about your observations of your notes? Maybe, you want to look more into journaling? (Today is the last time I’ll mention journaling in our journey, but I highly recommend continuing.)
Simply being
You’ve put a lot of effort so far into practicing reflection. It’s important that we don’t lose the trees for the forest. The focus of daily reflection is the _tree_; the forest will take care of itself.
One can bring self-judgement into reflection practice, but it is not necessary. Simply practicing being aware will pay dividends. I’m recommending you do the reflection without the judgement.
A human being. Not a human doing.
My martial arts teacher, Sensei Wirth, turned the phrase: No this. No that. No delay.
Many arts teach the lesson of simply being. Zen, for example provide koans: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”
Different styles of Yoga teach variosly about sound, light, and breathing.
The sublime experiences of life can be found anywhere. I’m hoping you find it within this small space you’ve created for reflection.
Make it yours
My intention for this series is to bootstrap your practice of reflection. For me to have suceeded, you must end up being self-sustaining in your practice.
The skeleton of this journey is the 57 prompts which appear at the top of each of these posts. I wasn’t born with those. What will be your prompt, or prompts?
How are you going to continue to trigger yourself to do your morning reflection?
I like to read, and daily-study/daily-devotional books is an entire Genre. But there are also web sites, software, flip cards, … what calls to you?
The best choice for medium and method—for prompts, for journaling, for reflection—is whatever reliably triggers you to reflect. Make it yours; change it whenever you wish.
Do you recall the beginning of this journey? While I created the prompts and the system which you are now enjoying, how will you continue it yourself?
It’s time for the student to become the teacher. What prompts and triggers are you going to create for yourself as you go through your life being your own teacher?
Recap
We’re in our final week together. The first week was about creating space. 2 minutes: Pause life. Read. Think. Resume life.
Our second week was focused on creating a new habit. Do you have your new habit attached to a trigger?
Week three was about the practice itself of reflection; becoming aware explicitly that we are— well, practicing being aware.
Awareness occupied our practice during our fourth week. Inward. Outward. Simply being aware is awesome.
In week five we tried the tiniest taste of capturing our thoughts. Reflection is a power tool for self-improvement. Journaling—and there are many kinds—is another.
Simply being is easy to understand but difficult to embody. In week six I tried to point at the moon, while hoping my pointing finger didn’t draw your attention instead.
Last week we began looking beyond this small, introductory journey and talking about ways you could continue on your own.
Digestif
When will the rhetorical questions end?
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As a PDF — You can download Practicing Reflection as a single e-book.