This post was sponsored by Mazda. Mazda believes in the power of human potential; creativity, imagination, and the amazing things we’re all capable of when we’re inspired.
As the end of the year approaches, ask yourself an important question—When is the last time I checked in with me?
If you’re like me, it may have been awhile. Heck, you may never really perform self check-ins. It’s a busy world. Between your career, your family life, social media, health, fitness, and the daily stressors of life, taking the time to check in with yourself can seem like more of a luxury than a necessity.
Recently, I was happy to be invited by Mazda to a three-day retreat experience—something I had never done before. With this particular event came the opportunity to learn about the Mazda CX-30, the history of Mazda itself, and—quite unexpectedly—get some much-needed time to reconnect with my oldest friend, me.
It made me think of all the other practices I could put into place in order to reconnect on a more regular basis—especially as I anticipate the birth of my first child.
Here’s how (and why) you should work in ways to connect with yourself, realign your vision, and spark creativity going forward.
The Benefits of Self-Reflection
Self-reflection is the ability to willingly learn more about your purpose and to actively participate in introspection.
It’s not a new concept by any means—”Know thyself” was famously inscribed at the Temple of Apollo over 3,000 years ago. Self-reflection allows someone to think carefully, to give the brain a moment to pause in the midst of the chaos of everyday life and to sort through observations to inform future decisions. In short, self-reflection allows one to learn—and learn constantly—about themselves.
Research has shown that employees who spend 15 minutes at the end of each day reflecting about the lessons they learned performed 23 percent better—after only ten days of this practice.
How a Retreat Unexpectedly Inspired My Own Self-Reflection
When I arrived at the retreat, I and eleven other attendees were treated to a presentation by Mazda’s Senior Director of Design, Julien Montousse. Instead of delivering complicated car specs by rote, Montousse took us into the inner workings of the Mazda design team and how they employ a three-pronged working model based on humility, performance, and positivity.
Montousse didn’t base his presentation around torque, horsepower, all-wheel-drive systems, a beautifully-crafted interior, or the sound system features in the Mazda CX-30. Instead, he spoke about Mazda’s history in Hiroshima after the atomic bomb, how the Mazda plant (then making machine parts) remained miraculously unscathed after the bombing, and how he and his team take that history and infuse it into everything Mazda does.
There’s something powerful about reflecting in the face of a destructive event, a cause to rebuild, and a commitment to remembrance.
After this first presentation, I knew I wasn’t at a marketing event where I’d be spoonfed numbers, specs, and car facts. Instead, we were ushered into a couple of days where we’d be given the opportunity to experience, to reflect, and to come away with our own takeaways.
During his presentation, Montousse said something that would stick with me for the next three days, my drive home, and the following weeks (up until now, when I’m writing this.) In explaining the essentialist retreats he and his team take—think camping at Joshua Tree—he stressed the importance of experiencing and sitting in emotions whenever they arrive,
“Pay attention to emotion. The biggest rush is in veering off the path and expectations of society.”
So, why did I choose self-reflection as the subject for covering this particular experience? When I arrived at the event, I was a little nervous. I am, by no means, an influencer. I love to listen to people’s stories, to take in experiences, and to dissect them later on. This event, in speaking with Mazda employees, listening to Julien Montousse and documentarian Jimmy Chin, other influencers, and in having dedicated time to myself in a beautiful candy apple red car (we’ll get more into that later) afforded me the space and the time to sit with myself and sift through my own emotions.
Are my ambitions going to change? Can I use my own work to inspire? How can I put into practice ways to awaken my senses every day—in the midst of this noisy world?
Self-Reflection Tip 1: Take a Quiet Walk (Sans Headphones)
If you’re looking for some entry-level self-reflection, a long walk is a seriously beneficial way to start. If you can take a walk in nature, that’s even better. I probably don’t even have to tempt you with the seemingly endless benefits of walking for 30 minutes a day, so we’ll skip that part.
Take this walk, preferably in silence, to self-reflect about your own path. Listen to the sounds around you. Is it noisy? Are there leaves on the ground? Do you feel like you’re rushed? Take your walk to do a mental check-in with yourself—and enjoy the mental and physical benefits.
Self-Reflection Tip 2: Go on a Long Drive (with no destination in mind)
There’s no surprise that this was my main self-reflection activity at the Mazda retreat.
I grew up in New York and I didn’t lease my first car until I was 30 years old. A car, to me, represents a special freedom, a physically personal space (quite unlike the subways New York has to offer,) and an enclosed space to be alone with my thoughts.
If you can take a long, aimless drive through the mountains of Santa Barbara, I’d highly recommend it. For my drive, in the brand-new Mazda CX-30, I chose a trail for my first adventure, went for a small hike, then got back in the car with absolutely no destination in mind.
I wound through the mountains of Santa Barabara with the CX-30’s predictive i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive. I descended to the beach, where I sat with my journal to write a few things down (another great self-reflection technique we’ll explore later.) I navigated through small beach towns with no music—just my own thoughts reverberating inside my head within the essentialist interior of the Mazda CX-30.
Seriously, it’s a really pretty car—inside and out.
Self-Reflection Tip 3: Ask Yourself Some Questions
If you want to practice daily self-reflection, then having a set of ready questions is a great way to start. Asking yourself a set of questions will give you a real, comparable way to check in with yourself in a quiet and honest way. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself daily. It only takes a few minutes.
- How am I feeling today?
- How would I like to feel today?
- What are my intentions today?
- Am I avoiding anything today?
- How can I ensure that today is a successful day?
Self-Reflection Tip 4: Spend Time Creating (For The Sake of Creating)
This is an especially important exercise if you’re a creative person. We all are guilty, at one point or another, of getting sucked into work, family life, or other responsibilities—such that we forget to save time for our own creativity.
Creative self-reflection can resemble a myriad of things. It can be taking ten minutes to journal, to sketch, or to add five lines to the screenplay you’ve been working on for years. Don’t be afraid to start small. By taking a few moments to practice creativity, I have a pretty strong feeling you’ll inspire more and more from within.
Self-Reflection Tip 5: Surround Yourself with Things That Inspire You
I’m no Marie Kondo, but I know there are a few things that make me happy—and I like to surround myself with those things. Whether it’s your work desk or your bedside table, consider what items bring you joy and a sense of inspiration. It might be a picture of you and your siblings from the 90s. It might be a scented candle that gives you olfactory memories.
Heck, it might even be your whole living room, your car, or your office. Create spaces in which you can practice self-reflection, meditation, or mindfulness on a regular basis.
Self-Reflection Tip 6: Consider Recent Decisions You’ve Made (and Why)
Consider some of the recent decisions you made—whether at work, at home, or in regards to your physical well-being. Why did you make this specific decision? What emotion drove you to make this decision? What were the outcomes of this decision? Were they positive for you or for those around you?
By keeping track of the decisions you make and the outcomes they inspire, you are building your own decision-making skills. Decision-making skills are incredibly important in all areas of your life.
The next time you make a big decision, solve a large problem, or enact some serious critical-thinking, ask yourself a few questions—and take note of your answers. Let those intentions guide future decisions, too.
Self-Reflection Tip 7: Consider the Company You Keep
We’re all familiar with the adage, “You’re as good as the company you keep.” During this Mazda experience, we thought a lot about the company we keep—and how they influence our decisions, our successes, our working lives, and our daily experiences.
On our second night, we were joined by documentary filmmaker Jimmy Chin, who directed the Academy Award Winning nail-biter documentary, Free Solo. Chin spoke about how he best works with others, the sort of personalities that he can collaborate with, and the strengths he has learned that coalesce best with himself—especially in high-stress situations.
How do you work best with others? Does the company you keep inspire you or champion your goals? Do they make you feel empowered and safe? Consider your must-have list for those you surround yourself with—day in and day out.
Self-Reflection Tip 8: Learn Something New from an Unexpected Source
I included this tip because this is what I ended up doing at the Mazda influencer experience.
We all have built-in biases, judgments, and belief systems. We have to strip them down to their core in order to open up to experience something new, to meet new people with different perspectives, and to ultimately learn about ourselves.
I never expected to learn as much from an automobile designer, a group of influencers, or a documentary filmmaker/climber as I did through this event.
Instead, I spent valuable time with people I never would have had a chance to meet otherwise. Among them, someone who was developing a sustainable seafood option, a designer at Mazda who also created a natural dye-free sprinkle, and a blogger who had traveled to more countries than I could name off the top of my head.
Self-Reflection Tip 9: Ask Yourself Daily, How Am I Doing?
We’ve already talked about asking yourself questions on a regular basis. If that’s not your speed, you forgot to do it, or you want to simplify your self-reflection practices, ask yourself this one question:
- How Am I Doing?
Imagine this question at the top of a large poster board—like the ones you used for the science fair in grade school. How are you doing today? What imagery reflects how you’re doing? What words? What emotions convey it best?
Whether you respond to yourself mentally, verbally (maybe even in the bathroom mirror), or by writing down a few words, this is a great way to simply reflect. Consider asking yourself this question once in the morning and once before you sleep.
Self-Reflection Tip 10: Give Yourself a Break (Let Go of Negativity)
We can be our own worst enemies—inside our very own heads. Another way to reconnect with yourself is by giving yourself a break. While I give advice on this subject, I have to admit I am very guilty of letting impostor syndrome poison my well of confidence.
Replace your pesky impostor syndrome or negative inward thoughts with positive, creative thoughts.
Easier said than done, right? Not exactly!
There are a few ways to silence impostor syndrome—and replace it with an inner voice that actually serves you. Here are a few reflective ways I like to silence that impostor syndrome.
- Keep track of your successes
- Ask questions when you feel stuck or uninspired
- Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations (ie. instead of “I can’t do that” try “How can this be done?”)
In Conclusion
Get to know yourself on a deeper level. You’re always changing, evolving, and growing. By taking the time to check-in and acknowledge your progress, you will only inspire further growth.
This post was sponsored by Mazda. Mazda believes in the power of human potential; creativity, imagination, and the amazing things we’re all capable of when we’re inspired.
