Most of us are so tired by the time we get to
bed that we fail to reflect upon the day that has passed us by. The benefits of
a little self-introspection cannot be over-stated. Whether it is knowing how
far behind you are from achieving your goals to simply being aware of your
everyday life, taking time for yourself can benefit you in manifold ways. Start
doing this exercise from today and ask yourself these questions every night to
see the difference.
1. What did I do today?
2. What did I learn today?
3. What made me laugh?
4. What was I grateful for?
5. Did I move closer to my goal?
1. What did I do today?
Our lives are such a busy mess that trying to
filter productive
work from
wasted time becomes an important point to ponder upon at the end of each day.
Unless you know how exactly you spent your time today you will continue to work
haphazardly through your days, eventually getting frustrated and adding stress
to your life. Ask yourself what you did and you should be able to see your day
flow in chronological order for you to make sense of it.
2. What did I learn today?
Unless you learnt something that you didn't
know, consider your day wasted. There is so much to learn and know about in our
lives that you should have at least one Eureka moment every day. If you don't
have them regularly subscribe to informative videos
on YouTube or read a helpful Wikipedia page or just catch
up on your professional field to see what the latest news on the sector is.
Knowledge will set you free and take you ahead in life.
3. What made me laugh?
If you had a few moments of laughter in your
day today, then savour them once again by thinking about them. Try to figure
how you can have such moments each day. Unless you can laugh at something or
someone's jokes, your day will seem dull and boring. Ensure that you spend a
few minutes laughing even if it means watching your favourite 'FRIENDS' episode
one more time!
4. What was I grateful for?
Find happiness in little things. Be grateful
for the cab driver who did not crib about you not having change. Be grateful
for your commute allowing you to reach work on time. Be grateful for your
partner's call reminding you how much they
love you.
There is more to be grateful for than to crib about in our lives. Being
grateful will in turn lead you to have better relationships and less stress in
life
5. Did I move closer to my goal?
First things first. If you don't have a goal in
life then think hard about it and write it down. Think big like owning your
house in South Mumbai or travelling the world. Now, every night, before you go
to sleep, ask yourself honestly if you did anything to move closer to your
dream. This is the best question you can ask yourself to stay motivated and
work relentlessly towards your goals.