“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful,” writes Margaret Wheatley. As I finish year twelve as a high school educator, I’ve started to reflect on the school year in order to improve both professionally and personally. Although reflection happens in the smaller moments of each day, spending some time during the summer to reflect on the year as a whole provides great insight for future growth. Here are five key questions for personal growth:
- What aspects of my work were effective this year? It’s critical to take a reflective approach and analyze the results in our daily work. By asking and answering this question objectively, we’re able to narrow down on the aspects of our work that produced quality results. Analyzing these aspects allows us to feel confident that what we’re doing helps move the needle appropriately.
- What aspects of my work were ineffective this year? Although we hope that all aspects of our work are effective, some simply do not produce results. Clarifying the ineffective aspects allows us to eliminate what’s not working and focus more on what does work to produce the desired goals. Even elminiting small aspects of our daily work can help us reach our end goals more efficiently.
- In what areas of my work did I grow and develop? A year of doing anything in life provides opportunities for personal and professional development, so it’s critical to reflect on those bright spots. Early in our careers, we develop at a much more significant pace; later in our work, the growth is slower, but hopefully steady and purposeful. We want to look back after a year and feel proud of the development we had in our work.
- What will I stop doing, start doing, and continue doing? In just about every career and in our personal lives, using the “stop, start, continue” strategy produces clear and reflective ideas. As a leader, teacher, or coach, spend time working through each aspect of your work and answer this question. In our personal lives, using this strategy allows us to focus on areas that really impact us in positive ways and leads to living a more fulfilled and purposeful life.
- What aspects of my work brought me the most joy? Although it’s not talked about much, feeling joyful and excited about our work is particularly important for a fulfilled career. Each part of our jobs produces some type of emotion, and we hope that much of it is filled with joy and excitement. Especially as a teacher, leader, or coach, we always need to remember the many positive reasons why we decided to do this work. Those who find the most growth and development often find great joy in aspects of the work they do.
One aspect of becoming our best selves is our ability to reflect on our past experiences. It’s important to set aside quality time for reflection before, during, and after significant personal and professional experiences. Implementing key questions can guide our work in personal reflection or it can be much more informal. The important part is that you implement some type of reflection for personal growth.
What questions do you utilize for personal and professional growth?