TAKE TIME TO REFLECT.

Taking the time to reflect on what we’ve learned in business is essential for growth and continued success. By carefully examining experiences, both positive and negative, a business owner, manager or team leader can gain valuable insights to assist us in making truly informed, purposeful decisions.

This self-reflection allows a business owner to identify strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to leverage skills while addressing areas that require improvement. I recommend to all my clients and staff to keep a journal. Simple notes, to do’s, small accomplishments, major catastrophes, write them all down. Write down what you did to solve challenges, and the times you didn’t have the resources to pull it off.

Write down all the big wins as well as all the times you thought about quitting.

If you do this daily, you will have a record of all that you faced along your journey. You can reflect on this when you need to make tough decisions.

When you’ve filled it up, start over with a new one. I prefer to start fresh every year on 1/1 regardless of where I’m at in my current journal, taking the time to close out the year with some real self reflection before moving on.

As you keep filling up journals store them away safely and well organized. One day you can hand them off to someone who could use them, one at a time or all together. Maybe a few to a colleague, a young entrepreneur that reminds you of someone you knew, or maybe even the future buyer of your business.

Or, who knows maybe someday you’ll publish one heck of a work of nonfiction. It’s your story, share it and help someone through the challenges life presents, you’ve been there too.