Look. Listen. Reflect… Let’s talk about self-development. As I age become wiser, I grow to be more connected to the moments in life that propel me into a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. While working in what I consider to be an industry that moves faster than light, often there is little to no time to reflect on daily encounters, wins, and losses.

“You learn from experience”, so they say. I say “no”. That’s only part of the recipe for building a powerhouse of “well-roundedness”. Imagine the process of laying bricks to build your magnificent dream home. You can’t merely stack the blocks on top of each other to form a solid structure. You need cement and it needs to hold. I make this comparison for the sake of drawing a connection to the importance of self-reflection. Our experiences are our bricks. The cement, our contemplation. It’s incredible to have umpteen unique and life changing events, but without taking a step back to deliberate about what it means to you or how it changes your prospective, then what is it worth?

Place your bricks. Lay your cement in-between.

I’m learning little by little the true value of reflection. Professional redirection: I’m currently 7 months into a role that moves fast. Very fast. The kind of fast that sometimes makes me forget what day it is. Every morning that I walk off the elevator and into the office, there is a new experience waiting for me, bright and early. It’s there even if I’m not ready for it. Now that I have found my feet in this position, I seek out these experiences which frequently come masked as a challenge. Consider it a game of sorts. It’s discouraging to play when you’re still learning, however once you become great… Bring it on. Office place whack-a-mole/challenge?

So why am I telling you this and why should you care? I tell you this because I see that I’m becoming GREATER at the game of life (work included) by 1) being aware of what’s happening around me, 2) accepting life’s challenges with open arms, 3) taking time to decipher what meaningful observations I can make as I maneuver in and out of life’s events.

I challenge you to create an event for yourself, sometime after reading this. Speak with a stranger while waiting in line for the bus (you’d be surprised how an unassuming “Good Morning” can transpire into a conversation circling geopolitics, global warming, or everything else unforeseen). Volunteer for the great “opportunity” at work. When you feel like you have a brick, spread a generous layer of cement on it. Tie your experiences to your priors and prepare to make the connection to those of your future, just waiting for you to arrive.

Life is serious, but it can’t be taken too seriously. Have fun with the hard stuff. Reflect on whatever comes across your path, then build these experiences into your impenetrable brick house of character and knowledge.

-JO