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Inspiration to Retrospect: 6 reasons Retrospection is KEY to greatness in life
Living in the present is long glorified, but to remember the mistakes of our past is what can set us on a corrective course of action, which can open up possibilities and doors which refused to budge before. Why retrospect? Let's look at various aspects of it. Read on!
Being 100% involved in life is a wonderful thing to do- but even a football game has time-outs after a quarter. Time-outs are a boon, if you know how to use them well. What do you do when you set out a target for yourself, and didn't achieve it? What do you do when you aced your last goal, and are about to set a new goal for yourself? Well, the golden word? Retrospect. Indeed!
Living each day as a brand new day is truly, amazingly brilliant; but if you're going to forget what you did wrong yesterday, then today won't take you down any new road. Minor aberrations in your driving yesterday can be corrected when you retrospect about what went wrong! When you're almost there but not there yet, correction is key. Accuracy is important, speed comes only second to it.
Looking back at a Math exam you just wrote or a sales pitch that totally went down the drain, or that biology record which is proof of how amazing your drawing skills are, or that code which you wrote with zero defects in it, can only help you get better at what you do- no matter how good or bad you are at it- whether you're a student or an employee or employer or any damn thing- as long as you're human, and you have a desire to improve.
Then there are those pits you absolutely have no strength to get out of. Those quicksands and storms, which you have gotten out of by the help of a friend, a mentor or sheer luck. You know you aren't crafted for it, you know it's something you shouldn't jump into. No matter what your realm of expertise is, everybody has a weakness. Running away from something you don't like is definitely not what I'm talking about. But some true characteristics which each of us have, and how they play into our lives are something we can get a hang on only through retrospection. Recollect the last storm of your life from which you barely came out alive. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but when you're testing the waters, don't use both your feet.
Looking back upon what you need most- be it focus, commitment, ownership, a zing for life, or just another meal with good nutrition- can truly help nourish you. Impoverishment is not just for the body, it is true of the mind as well. Force feeding nutrients -both to body and mind- that are already in abundance will be of no consequence. Retrospection could truly help you identify that missing nutrient in your life!
It reveals your strengths, it reveals your weaknesses, it reveals where you stand on most things today, it reveals the truth. Not the absolute truth of life, for there isn't any, but the truth of your life, the truth about you, about the presence of which, there is no denying. Recollect the last luncheon you hosted, the last game you played, the last code you wrote, the last time you felt exhilarated, the last time your stomach did a somersault. It wasn't that your guests were the best in the planet, it was all YOU. Being a host may come naturally to you, but it is indeed somebody else's worst nightmare. That game you lost but still didn't blame the weakest on the team, but instead focused on strengthening the weakest link? Leadership doesn't come by birth, it comes to those who work towards it. But there's no denying that a few have the flair to be a leader. Remember that exhilarating feeling when you met someone new or that joy of winning? Exhilaration might seem like it is because of someone or something you met or received, but it's all YOU. Retrospect. What gave you that feel? And how do you keep that emotion ON, all the time? Give it a thought!
When I was at a conference a few years ago, I heard someone remark that in twenty years, they wanted to start a company catering to developing websites, but when somebody suggested they start freelancing for developing websites right away, the aforementioned person said they didn't have the time for it. It's a classical example of everybody wanting to go to heaven but nobody wanting to die. Retrospection can reveal to us how many doors of our own dreams we have closed shut or haven't entered, simply because we don't realise that is indeed the route to our dreams! Remember the last time you attended a family get-together. What did you do? Socialise? Help out the host/hostess? Were you the host/hostess? Did you hang around with the kids of the family, being their clown? Retrospection could give you insights about who you truly are deep down, when nobody's watching and nobody's busy passing their judgements about who they think you are. And that, is a wealth of information which can be mapped to immeasurable success in what do you for a living, and what you make out of life- make it worthwhile!
1. Retrospection helps you correct
Living each day as a brand new day is truly, amazingly brilliant; but if you're going to forget what you did wrong yesterday, then today won't take you down any new road. Minor aberrations in your driving yesterday can be corrected when you retrospect about what went wrong! When you're almost there but not there yet, correction is key. Accuracy is important, speed comes only second to it.2. Retrospection helps you improve
Looking back at a Math exam you just wrote or a sales pitch that totally went down the drain, or that biology record which is proof of how amazing your drawing skills are, or that code which you wrote with zero defects in it, can only help you get better at what you do- no matter how good or bad you are at it- whether you're a student or an employee or employer or any damn thing- as long as you're human, and you have a desire to improve.
3. Retrospection helps you avoid
Then there are those pits you absolutely have no strength to get out of. Those quicksands and storms, which you have gotten out of by the help of a friend, a mentor or sheer luck. You know you aren't crafted for it, you know it's something you shouldn't jump into. No matter what your realm of expertise is, everybody has a weakness. Running away from something you don't like is definitely not what I'm talking about. But some true characteristics which each of us have, and how they play into our lives are something we can get a hang on only through retrospection. Recollect the last storm of your life from which you barely came out alive. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but when you're testing the waters, don't use both your feet.
4. Retrospection helps you nourish
Looking back upon what you need most- be it focus, commitment, ownership, a zing for life, or just another meal with good nutrition- can truly help nourish you. Impoverishment is not just for the body, it is true of the mind as well. Force feeding nutrients -both to body and mind- that are already in abundance will be of no consequence. Retrospection could truly help you identify that missing nutrient in your life!
5. Retrospection reveals
It reveals your strengths, it reveals your weaknesses, it reveals where you stand on most things today, it reveals the truth. Not the absolute truth of life, for there isn't any, but the truth of your life, the truth about you, about the presence of which, there is no denying. Recollect the last luncheon you hosted, the last game you played, the last code you wrote, the last time you felt exhilarated, the last time your stomach did a somersault. It wasn't that your guests were the best in the planet, it was all YOU. Being a host may come naturally to you, but it is indeed somebody else's worst nightmare. That game you lost but still didn't blame the weakest on the team, but instead focused on strengthening the weakest link? Leadership doesn't come by birth, it comes to those who work towards it. But there's no denying that a few have the flair to be a leader. Remember that exhilarating feeling when you met someone new or that joy of winning? Exhilaration might seem like it is because of someone or something you met or received, but it's all YOU. Retrospect. What gave you that feel? And how do you keep that emotion ON, all the time? Give it a thought!6. Retrospection is KEY to fulfilling your dreams
When I was at a conference a few years ago, I heard someone remark that in twenty years, they wanted to start a company catering to developing websites, but when somebody suggested they start freelancing for developing websites right away, the aforementioned person said they didn't have the time for it. It's a classical example of everybody wanting to go to heaven but nobody wanting to die. Retrospection can reveal to us how many doors of our own dreams we have closed shut or haven't entered, simply because we don't realise that is indeed the route to our dreams! Remember the last time you attended a family get-together. What did you do? Socialise? Help out the host/hostess? Were you the host/hostess? Did you hang around with the kids of the family, being their clown? Retrospection could give you insights about who you truly are deep down, when nobody's watching and nobody's busy passing their judgements about who they think you are. And that, is a wealth of information which can be mapped to immeasurable success in what do you for a living, and what you make out of life- make it worthwhile!
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Writing this piece has taken me back on a memory lane to days when I retrospected and obtained gems of information about who I am- beneath and beyond what everyone can see. What do you see in the mirror? :) Let me know, the comments section is all yours for the taking!Copyrights © 2024 Inspiration Unlimited eMagazine
Any facts, figures or references stated here are made by the author & don't reflect the endorsement of iU at all times unless otherwise drafted by official staff at iU. This article was first published here on 31st July 2017.
