Thing 17: Reflective Practice

I don't feel like re-writing any of my blog posts because I am quite reflective by nature and tend to take my time writing the blog.  I never post anything on the first day of writing; instead, I revisit it over a couple of days and fine-tune it.  Not only does it enable me to write better posts (I hope!) but it also allows me time to think about each Thing and perhaps revise my initial view or opinion.

I tend to think about life a lot and my place in it.  I am not competitive by nature but I have a strong drive to improve myself and to be the best that I can be.  Any time I finish a large project I sit back and reflect on what I've done.  These are the sort of questions I tend to ask: Am I happy with what I've produced?  If yes, why, and are there ways in which I could improve further?  If I am not happy, why not?  What would I do differently?  Can I change my work practices to produce a better result next time?  What should those changes be and how can I implement them?

I find myself doing the same thing with people.  We all know individuals that we don't quite get on with and whenever that happens to me I tend to reflect on the situation  and try to identify behavioral or attitudinal barriers on my part that might be contributing to the problem.  I also try to find ways in which I could change or bypass these shortcomings although I confess this is not always easy!  As we get older we tend to become more entrenched in our views and approaches and these habits can be hard to break.  Luckily I also find that as one gets older one doesn't get bothered about issues quite as easily - it's more and more a question of living and letting live, and accommodating all comers.

Perhaps because reflective practice is something I do instinctively, I tend to balk at models and theories.  I'm not sure that there is a right or wrong way of reflecting although I can see that if one is new to the concept reflective models can help to kick-start the process.  I also have a feeling that reflective practice can be taken too far, to the point when it becomes self-obsessive and a hindrance rather than an asset.  Life is not all about me and my feelings and there is a fine line between self-knowledge and self-centeredness.

On this journey through 23 Things, I have thought much about my own attitudes to Social Media and modern technology.  I am aware that I am resistant to a degree to both but whether this is a generational or a personal thing I'm still not sure.  Perhaps it's a bit of both.  However, I have learnt an immense amount and am glad to have been brought out of my comfort zone into this new playing field.  Some of the Things have blown me away with excitement, others have filled me with apprehension or cynicism but none have left me unmoved!