Don't Underestimate Introspection

This week was forced introspection bootcamp for me, and I have to say, I'm glad. I'd forgotten the value of a solid block of introspection and how essential it is in order to be awesome.

The reason why introspection is an essential (and often undervalued) component to awesomeness, is because it allows you to examine where you're coming from and why you're choosing the things you're choosing. It allows you to see the motivation behind your actions, where you were successful, and where you made mistakes, but it also lets you examine your feelings.

Maybe you already knew why you chose the things you chose, but most people don't think about this. A question I could ask myself for example is, why did I choose to eat the leftover pizza in my fridge? I ate it because it was easy and convenience is more important to me right now than spending time trying to figure out alternatives. The more time I spend trying to figure out alternatives, the hungrier I get and then I become cranky. I don't want to be cranky, so I will eat the pizza. Also I don't want it to sit there for days until no one wants to eat it. I hate waste. This is a pretty mundane choice, but there were reasons why I made it. Introspection allows me to come to the conclusion that both convenience and waste are motivating factors for me to eat food leftovers.

Introspection also let's a person see where they were successful. This might seem like a dumb point, but let's take a look at it for a minute. Success is not always objective. Success is something each person defines differently depending on context. Likewise, there are various levels or steps to success. In the case of my writing/publishing challenge, publishing my first book of the challenge is a success, however I have not completed the challenge yet. I still have six to seven books remaining to publish. For someone who has difficulty celebrating the stepping stone successes, introspection is invaluable because it will highlight those moments that were good before reaching the larger more spectacular success of an end goal. But what about failures? What about mistakes?

While you could easily have a mentor, friend, or family member tell you where you screwed up, it's not quite the same. You might even address the flub, but would it mean as much? Would you make the same mistake again? You wouldn't necessarily have spent the time thinking about where that mistake arose, and therefore are more likely to run into similar problems in the future.

In addition to being able to understand these kinds of things better, it also lets you explore your feelings about a thing. This is a huge and incredibly helpful process. Let me give you an example.

This past week I ended up having a lot of time on my hands. I had conversations with a variety of people about my current state of being, meetings for church, and any number of things that are unusual for me.  The result was, I realized that my anxiety about my lack of current financial security, the unknown about my health insurance, and even what will happen with the baby was all completely pointless. My guilt about spending time blogging and working on publishing was also equally useless. Instead of worrying about these things actively, my feelings and approach began to shift. I observed what was happening - of course I couldn't ignore the situations, but I let them be. I came up with plans of action. I accepted there were limits to what I could do and the only thing I could focus on was what I have control over - my daily habits and my writing.

I don't know how many times I've read people talking about how worrying is useless etc, but it hadn't ever really clicked. I couldn't imagine getting over all my anxieties about things (I've generally been a worrier, especially when it came to anything personal). But when I realized I had no other options, when the pressure of making other choices was taken away, I was freed from that burden. The guilt I felt was gone. The worry was no longer a sharp pain in my gut, but had been transformed into motivation to be awesome at whatever I do.

I could not have come to these conclusions without some serious thinking time.

Introspection, or thinking time, doesn't come naturally to everyone. It's the kind of exercise that intellectuals, empaths, and anyone who is introverted feels most comfortable doing. For those of you who have difficulty spending time thinking about your feelings and thoughts, it takes practice, just like any habit.

For extroverts, I think rather than sitting in your room alone journaling or wading through personality tests or something, you should grab a close friend. Talk seriously about whatever issue you're wrestling with at the moment. Make sure this friend is someone who can ask you tough questions and get to the bottom of things. Stress to them that you're not necessarily looking for advice, but just someone to bounce ideas off of. This is the key. You're not necessarily looking for solutions when using introspection, but rather understanding. With deep understanding, you will find solutions come to you. A path will be clear, and trust me, nothing is better than a clear path. This will help you on your route to awesomeness.

Introspection is incredibly valuable. It is a process in understanding that will help you recognize motivations, recreate successes, correct mistakes, and transform feelings. It may not come naturally to everyone, but it is possible to practice and make it a habit. Once you do, I know you'll find it so much easier to be impressively awesome.