A mirror reflection for personal insight

Posted on 23. Oct, 2009 by Susan Wright in Life Coaching

You see yourself as intelligent and you’ve “got it together” until one day you have a conversation with someone and wonder what the heck you were thinking. You don’t feel so together, you question your intellectual savvy and just about anything else that you once perceived as true.

When this happens (and yes it can, even for the most confident cats out there) its an opportunity to take a moment to reflect and ask yourself, what was it about that conversation that bothered you or altered your perception of who you are or what you’re capable of.  Seriously, even the most eloquent and evolved Jack or Jane has a time when their ego gets a little whack over the head.  Unless of course you are Buddha.

A conversation is slightly different from simply hearing the thoughts and opinions of others. A conversation is dynamic, it engages us a little deeper into who we are and what we think. There is context to the conversation, there is also energy exchanged which informs our thoughts and actions. In conversation we listen and filter what has meaning, relevance, and importance.  However, depending on your emotional, mental and physical state at the time, the information may get filtered one way or another. We bring our full selves into our conversations; when we don’t, well this really isn’t engagement, it’s passive talk.  There’s plenty of talk out there especially in social and organizational contexts.

The expression “talk is cheap” has a lot of truth to it. No insight can be gained from blah blah blah. However, personal insight can come about from authentic conversation.  It’s sage advice to listen with “Big Ears” and engage in those thoughts and opinions when they provide some value to us. However, it is also wise not to listen to everything we hear and allow our confidence, intelligence or intentions to waiver.

Even the strongest of people have moments they waiver. It happens and I know because it’s easy not to listen to ourselves. We are surrounded by information, ideas, opinions, every single day! However, when you do choose to engage in a conversation then something interesting happens. You learn something. You deepen that learning when you take some time to reflect. The personal insight gained from this can be an aid/benefit to all that you intend.

Life mirrors what we are experiencing

Life mirrors what we are thinking

Life mirrors what we are feeling

The significance is not in understanding this, but more importantly understanding what you gain from this in terms of personal insight and learning. You and I and the rest of this busy world, require only a bit of time to reflect of what the mirror reflected back.

So for the moments when you might question your “got it togetherness”, intelligence or anything else for this matter, notice what’s going on for you in life or business at that time.  It can create some shift and bring you closer to listening to your gut, intelligence and personal wisdom.  The best thing you can do is listen to yourself and glean what you can from your conversations to bring further insight into your own personal development or professional foresight.

The conversations that leave you questioning are often the ones that encourage your growth and help you explore another part of who you are.

Tags: authentic conversations, insight, life, listening, personal development, reflection