What should you do first? Reflect on what you need or want to do? Or should you just begin and see how things work out?

I’ve always believed we do not learn from our experiences. The actual learning comes from reflecting on those experiences.

Insight . . .

So, when Chip and Dan Heath (The Power of Moments) wrote that “self-insight rarely comes from staying in our heads,” I was, at first, taken aback. This notion seemed contradictory to me until I read further.

Our thinking about our behavior, e.g., experiences, provides a better pathway to understanding. This is true for individuals and organizations.

“Action leads to insight more often than insight leads to action.”
Chip and Dan Heath

Action . . .

If we don’t get up out of our chair of complacency, what have we to ponder? Becoming our best selves requires doing—something. Then, we can reflect on how things went.

Is this the right path for me?

Did I do this well?

Was the result what I expected? If not, what do I need to do to improve?

“Learning who we are, and what we want,
and what we’re capable of—it’s a lifelong process.”
Chip and Dan Heath

I don’t know about you, but I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Our lives take many twists and turns. One thing is sure. We can wish our way through life, or we can try new things, act, do. Then, reflect on those experiences to make new choices or try new things.

Learning about ourselves does not end. Only by stretching our imagination and creating experiences can we find the gift we have to give to ourselves and those who crisscross through our lives. What steps will you take today?

And always—

Be kind. Be brave. Be you.

Photo: © Kathryn LeRoy