Reflect and Move Forward
Jill Gordon of Complete Mind Solutions, a former NMD Business Growth Mentoring Programme client and mother of three, gives some positive advice on how to process what we’ve all been through over the past two years and look forward to the future, whatever it may hold.
Let’s not beat around the bush, the past two years have been a challenge for us all, both personally and professionally.
Perhaps your business struggled financially, or you had to make some difficult decisions regarding your team? Maybe it was challenging to keep up with demand? Perhaps it even affected your home life, relationships? Whatever you have been through however, needs to be processed in order to find acceptance, to learn from the experience, move on and make progress.
When we find something difficult, challenging or emotionally demanding in life, regardless of what it is, time to consider and reflect on what has happened, how it made you feel, and what the positives are, is where you will find personal growth and success. When we are in a good place mentally, the benefits to our professional life are extensive.
Before we make a business decision, the chances are we take time to consider the bigger picture, the finer details, the cost, planning, what is needed in terms of people/materials etc., all of the usual elements that make up what is required in your line of work. We evaluate, decide, then take action.
Have you taken time to rigorously evaluate the effects of Covid-19 yet? Have you acknowledged and processed any stress it caused your business? The impact on you and your team?
If we do not pause to evaluate, stress in any situation will catch up with us eventually, unless we are pro-active and take action.
To avoid long-term and repetitive issues, reflective practise is vital to find positive perspective, acknowledgement and evolution. This means capturing and expressing what has happened, to continuously learn and adapt to the situation.
There are a variety of ways to use reflective practise to benefit your business. In November 2020, The University of Edinburgh published a helpful article describing reflective cycles, which are useful to support and inform practise. Their description of reflection is defined as ‘the conscious examination of past experiences, thoughts, and ways of doing things. Its goal is to surface learning about oneself and the situation, and to bring meaning to it in order to inform the present and the future. It challenges the status quo of practice, thoughts, and assumptions and may therefore inform our decisions, actions, attitudes, beliefs, and understanding about ourselves.’ The article also includes a reflective toolkit, a step-by-step guide to benefit your business, your team, and yourself.
To get started in business, the chances are you were realistic with yourself, your goals, and the steps you needed to achieve them, but things change. The world has changed and continues to do so every day. As professionals, we need to adapt to the world around us, be honest with ourselves and keep moving forward.
To move forward, we need to let go of the past, the tough times, self-doubt, negatives and the people that hold us back. Can you imagine all of these things packed into a suitcase, as we try to make progress, dragging the heaviness and distractions as we go?
Stop, open it up and ask yourself is what you have packed away essential?
- Evaluate where you are now and where you want to be.
- Acknowledge and take accountability.
- Reflect and take action.
- Let the past sit where it is, let it be, we cannot change it.
- Live in the present moment, be grateful, and enjoy your achievements.
You have survived. You may not be where you were, or where you thought you would be, but that is ok. You are still here.
To find out more about Jill and her business ‘Complete Mind Solutions’ please visit her website:
Complete Mind Solutions – The responsible approach to supporting Mental Well-being in the workplace
