Mental Moment-Use Reflection to Create an Action Plan
I’ve written several blogs about action plans. I’ve written about how to use a performance profile. I’ve written about setting goals. I’ve written about putting together an action plan and list of priorities. Today I want to talk briefly about how to use reflection as a way to create an action plan.
What does reflection mean? At this point I would normally look it up on dictionary.com but I am going to make a suggestion on how to view it in the context of what I am going to talk about. After every performance take a couple of minutes to reflect (objectively and non-emotionally) on what went well, what you could have done better and a positive, surprise or fun something that came out of your experience. Why? It creates awareness and:
- It is so important to think about what went well. We don’t usually think in this way but it helps us recognize that we did do some things well, which is important for continuing to do it. It boosts confidence and helps us stay motivated.
- What you could have done better. You will always remember what you didn’t well at the end of a performance. We are trained to remember everything we didn’t do well and even if you don’t write it down, you will remember. So why write it down? Writing it gets it out of your brain so you don’t have to carry it around with you.
- A positive, surprise or fun something that came out of your experience. This again is aligning behind boosting confidence and motivation but it makes you feel good. 🙂
I suggest writing this out because it gets it out of your head and in this case it allows you to remember the positives surrounding the experience. If you keep track for several days, a week or a month you can go back and look at all of the positives, it continues to build motivation and confidence. Whenever I say ‘writing’, clients tend to get squeamish but I am not talking about writing paragraphs of information unless that is what works for you. You can write words, bullet points or write a few sentences. It’s your process and you should do it (if you want) in whatever way feels comfortable.
How do I use this information to create an action plan? You take the things that ‘you could have done better’ physically (triple lutz, free-throws, serve, corners, etc.) and mentally (more confidence, less doubts, more positive, etc.) and create a realistic action plan (goals) for your next performance.
This exercise can also create awareness and be helpful in all aspects of life.
Happy Saturday!
Dr. Michelle
Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org
