Reflection is the hidden weapon in your arsenal of success.

Remember the old adage: don’t look back – you’re not going that way? Well, that is partly true in many respects, but in order to continuously improve in your personal and business endeavours, you need to look to the raw data this is your past to learn from what you’ve done – and what you didn’t do.

Reflection isn’t about taking five minutes on New Years Eve to look back on the year that was and skim over what you’ve accomplished. It’s a necessary daily habit that you can easily incorporate into small chunks throughout your day to make some profound changes into how you operate.

Whether you’re reflecting personally or professionally, you need to be absolutely adamant that the past is done and it’s never going to change. All you can do is learn from it, laugh on it – and move on.

Here are 4 pivotal ways you can benefit from daily reflection in your personal life – and in business.

1. You can learn from your mistakes

You have to be very objective when viewing your past – otherwise you could get sucked down a dark path looking at what could have been, which goes against the entire process. Mistakes are a valuable learning tool, otherwise you’re doomed to repeat the past.

Carve out time in your everyday schedule for a walk or alone time without any devices or distractions and go through the entire day’s events. Reflect on the conversations you had, the emotional rollercoaster, decisions you made – what did you like and what could you have done differently? Find the value in your failure.

2. It can spark your creativity

When you look back to projects you worked on, you break down what worked and what didn’t. Both angles provide a breeding ground for your creativity to explode. You can build off past successes and analyze what didn’t work and write down anything and everything that comes to mind about improving it. 

3. It gives you perspective

Reflection helps you gain clarity. We often become so inundated with the day-to-day stresses and responsibilities that we forget to take a step back and comprehend how it plays into the whole grand scheme of things. Reflecting helps you realign and centre yourself again in the present moment.

4. Look to the details

We sometimes associate reflection with looking back on the larger events in life. While this is important to watch how far you’ve evolved in terms of your personal and professional growth – it’s the finer moments of life that often get overlooked. Paying attention to the smaller details can be incredibly valuable, because they comprise the complexion of the bigger picture.

Sometimes it’s okay to sweat the small stuff. 

Reflection in the business world can make all the difference when you take the time to re-evaluate. Especially when you examine the hiring process and look at the fabric of your team.

Take a step back and assess one of the most pinnacle positions within your organization – your Product Management role. Download our free eBook for top industry secrets on how to effectively hire for this hybrid role.