Exercising Introspection

You ever wonder what makes you.. you?  I often reflect on who I am and what I am doing.  Often, I distract myself from becoming more aware of who I am.  Sometimes its scary to explore your inner thoughts and motivations.

Introspection is the conscious process of evaluating one’s own feelings, thoughts, and reasoning.  Some call this self-reflection.  Whatever you may call it, looking at yourself and evaluating your actions can be a fruitful process.  Why do I avoid confrontation? Why do I always get frustrated when someone says that?  Sometimes the answers to these questions are floating on the top of your conscious.

Sometimes people use various activities or substances to avoid introspection.  I personally enjoy playing online video games with my friends from back home.  Instead of playing these games for fun, I was using these games to avoid myself and responsibilities.  It had been distracting me from things like working out, spending time on my thesis, and reading books that I have been meaning to read.  It was also an escape from the fact that I am going to graduate soon and I need to get some things together!  These game distracted me from my own reality and goals.  My goals seemed daunting and unattainable.  Part of my introspection, was realizing I can achieve these goals and I am responsible for my fate.  I had to come up with a plan of attack.  I quit these games recently until I get my first job, finish my thesis, and read those books.

Self-reflection not only helps you understand yourself but it can give you information that can help you deal with others at work.  If you are cognizant about your own abilities, thoughts, feelings, and motivations, you will be able to communicate, feel, and work better with others.   See introspection as a tool to emphasize your strengths and dampen your perceived weaknesses.  Utilize your strengths to achieve your goals, you will be proud of yourself and of your accomplishments.

Psychological assessments are a great tool to help one with introspection.  Check out our link here.