“Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
image credit: vik
When you look at your reflection in the mirror, what do you see? A well-put-together woman dressed for an important meeting? Or a well-groomed man ready to make his mark on the world?
Do you notice the crooked lipstick line that you quickly “fix” with your forefinger? Or the light shadow on your face that you deftly remove with your razor?
You use a mirror daily to see what works, what doesn’t work, and what needs to quickly change before you present yourself to the world. The results you see make you smile, frown or act automatically and without skipping a beat.
You can use this same talent to help you achieve more of what you want and less of what you don’t want. Here’s how to do it in 15 minutes at the end of each work day….
Smile – Acknowledge What You Accomplished
Ask yourself, “What worked and why?” Perhaps you said “No” to a number of requests for your time. Maybe you found an effective shortcut to get the information you need. Smile in the “mirror” because these actions worked. They led you to the results you wanted.
Frown – Uncover Where You Were Ineffective
Ask yourself “What didn’t work and why?” Perhaps you said “Yes” to the ringing phone or inbox. Maybe you spent too much time perfecting your blog post or presentation. These silent time snatchers keep you from the intoxicating sense of achievement at the end of the day. It’s like the lipstick or the facial hair you want to “fix” in your reflection. Because they don’t give you the results you want.
Act – Adjust Your Behavior for Tomorrow
Ask yourself, “what will you do different?” If you had a “do-over” for what transpired today…Maybe you say “Yes” to the phone going to voicemail. Then return calls at a pre-scheduled time later in the day. Maybe you set a limit or establish criteria to get the blog or preso done. Because this time, you won’t allow yourself to be distracted from the task on hand. And you’ll have more to smile about as you grow your “what worked” list.
What To Do Now?
Schedule 15 minutes to answer these 3 questions:
1. “What worked and why?”
2. “What didn’t work and why?”
3. “What will you do different tomorrow?”
The answers inform what behaviors to keep, what behaviors to discard, and where you must focus your efforts tomorrow. Record your responses as a bulleted list in an Idea Journal to turn this new knowledge into an unconscious practice. [Learn more when you read 14 Ways to Use Idea Journals to Accelerate Results].
What process do you use to reflect on today to achieve more of what you want?
