Forget the Past? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t
Life moves fast. Between meetings, deadlines, and the endless buzz of notifications, finding time to pause and reflect feels almost impossible. But what if I told you those few intentional moments could change the trajectory of your health, wealth, faith, decisions, career, and even your entire life.
This week, we’re diving into Donald Schön’s Reflection-on-Action, a simple yet transformative framework to help you make intentional decisions by learning from your past.
Reflection-on-action: What It Is and Why It Matters
At its core, Reflection-on-Action is about intentionally pausing after an event or decision to ask:
What happened?
What worked or didn’t?
What can I do differently next time?
It’s really important to note that this isn’t about dwelling on mistakes—it’s about mining them for insights that guide smarter choices in the future.
How to Start Reflecting: A Simple Framework
Here’s how to get started in 3 easy steps for any area of your life—be it physical, emotional, career, or even finances!
What happened?
Be honest about the results. (“I gained weight instead of losing it.”)What worked or didn’t?
Identify your wins and missteps. (“I was consistent with workouts but overlooked meal planning during travel.”)What would I do differently?
Create an actionable plan. (I’ll research healthier food options for future trips and build a meal plan in advance.”)
When you regularly ask yourself these three simple questions, you’ll start uncovering patterns that help you make better decisions.
Where to Apply It:
Where will you start reflecting today?
What’s Happened Lately: Real-Life Lessons in Action
Last Friday, I was excited to end my vacation on time and spend a relaxing weekend at home. Unfortunately, life had other plans. After an hour-long delay on the tarmac, I missed my connecting flight and had to rebook into a downgraded seat—or wait hours for the next flight.
Frustrated? Absolutely. But I decided to reframe the situation.
Lesson Learned:
Rather than wallow in frustration, I asked myself, “What if this delay saves me from something worse, like an accident?” Once I shifted my perspective, I used my downtime to set meaningful goals for the first quarter of 2025.
Sometimes, all it takes is shifting your focus early on. It’s amazing how things start falling into place and working out for your good when you do!
New Learnings This Week
Lately, I’ve been exploring new AI tools, including Sora and Image FX, and the results are incredible! I created videos and GIFs using Sora and hyper-realistic, prompt-based images using Image FX.
Sora brings text to life with dynamic visuals.
Here’s the prompt I used to create this GIF: Show a black woman making a moping face while talking to a group of her excited-looking friends because she thinks everyone else's business and side hustle ideas are so much better than hers so she’s not going to do hers again.
Image FX produces stunning, true-to-prompt images that look professional.
Here’s the prompt I used to create these images: Create a photorealistic image of a black woman looking burdened by the thought of writing a newsletter.
These tools prove once again that the possibilities with AI are only expanding.
Are there tools you’ve been experimenting with?
Over to You
This week, I invite you to:
Choose one area of your life (Maybe it’s a career decision, a family relationship, or a health goal, etc.).
Use the 3-step reflection framework shared earlier.
Write down your insights and one actionable next step.
Share your thoughts in the comments or reply to this email. I’d love to hear about them!
Remember, reflection isn’t just about looking back but moving forward smarter and stronger.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
