So often it’s external contexts and experiences that have left us feeling less than. Which in turn leaves us searching for answers in external rewards and experiences, to tell and show us we’re alright after all.
Confidence doesn’t appear out of nowhere. But it doesn’t disappear out of nowhere either.
And in this experience lies clues for how it can be rebuilt on our terms. Slowly, and ideally, from the inside out.
In support of this, this reflection exercise focuses simply on getting to know yourself better. Give it a go and see what small shifts happens for you.
To start
- This exercise shares a sequence of questions, feel free to answer them in a way that works for you – pause or stop whenever you need to.
- To start, take a moment to figure out how you’d like to approach this: Would you prefer to think, say out loud, write or type your responses?
- As you notice more, what does your body need at this moment? Perhaps warmth, a drink, movement, a loo break or something else.
What you’re enjoying in life
- What are you most enjoying doing in life at the moment?
- Thinking more about this enjoyable thing – what do you enjoy about it most?
- What makes this thing more enjoyable than other things you do?
- What else are you enjoying doing at the moment?
- Again, what makes this thing enjoyable for you?
- Describe these enjoyable things in three words
- How similar are you as a person to the words you have chosen?
- What other words would you use to describe yourself?
- (Side adventure: ask your closest friend the same question about you : )
- What energy or feeling arises as you reflect on this?
Ease and enjoyment at work
- What of all your responsibilities and tasks do you find most enjoyable?
- What about this thing do you find enjoyable?
- At the opposite end, what responsibility or task do you find least enjoyable?
- What makes this unenjoyable for you?
- Draw a line down the middle of a page and write down on one side the things you find hard/er at work and on the other side write down all the things you find easier
- Circle the top three things you enjoy
- What do you notice about the lists?
- What are you left thinking as you reflect on this exercise?
Influencers and environments
- Think about a time, recently or a while back, when you felt most at ease at work
- What was happening around you?
- What or who was influencing how you feel at this easeful time?
- As you reflect on this time, what else comes to mind?
- More generally, what and who supports you to feel at ease at work day to day?
- What do you conclude from these reflections?
Reflection
- What stands out to you about your reflections so far? Note absolutely anything that comes ups
- What have you found interesting?
- What’s the most important thing that emerged?
- What would you like to work on or explore more in future, based on what’s emerged?
- Is there anything else you’d like to note before you finish?
I hope you found this reflection exercise useful. I always welcome hearing your experiences and feedback, so feel free to get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to share.
