writing reflections - live in present

I have read some self-help authors balk at the idea of examining your past. I have read some self-help authors who primarily endorse focusing on your future. More recently, self-help authors stress living in the present.

I am a firm believer in living in the present as much as possible. While it is impossible to do it all the time, we should constantly encourage ourselves to get back to the present. This is where life can truly be lived. And while the present is very important, our greatest source of knowledge is our past and our greatest source of influence is our future.

Some feel that reflection is focusing too much on the non-present, either the past or the future. Well, essentially it is.

Reflection takes place in the present, but it is either about the past or the future; a previous experience or a future experience. What reflection is not:

  • Brooding over past experiences, which translates to regret
  • Anxious anticipation about future experiences, which translates into worry

Reflection is productive. Simply recounting with a negative overtone is destructive.

Reflection requires critical analysis. Simply recounting is rumination.

Reflection encourages growth. Simply recounting encourages being stuck.

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