My Summer Message to You

Finding Balance and Boosting Performance Through Reflection

Summer has arrived to Sweden and the Northern hemisphere! Warm, sunny weather and some well-deserved time off make this the perfect season to focus on personal growth. Whether you're working or relaxing, embracing a positive attitude and setting aside time for reflection can greatly enhance your performance, overall balance and well-being.

The Power of Reflection

During the busy year, you might find it challenging to set aside time for reflection. However, making it a habit is simpler than you think.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What did I gain from my last reflection session? Reflect on the insights and learnings you obtained.

• What went well and why? Consider the successes you've had and analyze the factors that contributed to them.

Understanding what motivates you to reflect is key to making it a regular practice. By prioritizing reflection, you'll discover one of the most important motivating factors: clarity on your goals and actions.

Relax while you listen to the article here <-

Finding Your Motivation

To change a behavior and start prioritizing reflection, you need motivation. Identify what drives you to make this change. If reflection isn’t yet a habit, start by setting aside a few minutes a few times a week on specific days and times.

Choose a place where you can be undisturbed. For some, proximity to water is ideal; for others, a blank white wall works best. Experiment and see what environment fosters the best reflection for you.

Making the Most of Your Reflection Time

Simply sitting, lying down, or standing in your chosen reflection spot might not always lead to amazing inspiration.

If your mind feels blank, try asking yourself:

• What am I happy with today?
• What do I want more of tomorrow?
• How did I show gratitude or positive feelings to others?
• What gave me energy?
• What did I aim to do today that I actually accomplished?

Enhance Your Reflection Skills

Brighter Leaders helps you lead yourself and others, bringing out your best qualities. By achieving a deeper level of reflection, you gain new insights and take significant steps in your personal and professional development.

What practices do you use to harness the power of your brain for better decision-making and emotional regulation?

My favorite practice is called AIA, this stands for Awareness, Intention, Action.

I practice it not only under situations of stress. I do this practice every day. It helps me to be in awareness and moves me from an automatic, reactive state of mind and into a reactive stat that I have more control over.

Through practice this has now become my new default pattern that serves me well.

If you’d like to know more about this practice or many other practices and tools that can increase your awareness get in touch with us.

In neuroscience terms we could say that awareness is the #1 muscle.

How often do you use this muscle? How often do you prompt others to use this muscle?

The truth is we cannot change what we don’t know of. This mental ability of awareness is about observing your thoughts, emotions and behaviors without judging or blaming.

By observing ourselves we can interrupt negative or disempowering patterns, stop them and replace them by conscious ones.

What researchers have found is that activating the neuromuscle of awareness changes some areas of the brain, like for instance the prefrontal cortex responsible for executive decision making.

Let me share one of the many real life examples of applying the inner game in my coaching practice:

Let’s call this client of mine, Sara.

Sara was struggling with high stress levels and a lack of focus, which led to her team feeling overwhelmed and disorganized. She often found herself reacting impulsively to problems, which created a tense work environment.

Sara began practicing AIA, remember Awareness, Intention, Action directly after she had been part of a challenging situation. This helped her calm her mind and improve her emotional regulation.

She also kept a journal to reflect on her reactions and identify patterns in her behavior.

Through increased awareness, Sara became more conscious of her stress triggers and learned to pause before reacting. This allowed her to approach challenges with a clear mind and a calm demeanor.

Her improved composure helped her make more strategic decisions, which positively impacted her team's performance. The work environment became more positive and collaborative, leading to higher team morale and productivity.

Just as Sara benefited from reflection, you too can embrace the power of introspection.

Embrace Summer with Reflection

This summer, take the opportunity to integrate reflection into your routine. It’s a powerful tool to balance your life, boost your performance, and enhance your leadership skills.

Enjoy the sunny days and make the most of this time for personal growth!

For those of you who like to carry with you a book to your holidays, grab a copy of our book 'From Suffering to Surfing' below.

Wish you an amazing summer!

PS. will be energizing with surfing and wing foiling 😀🏄♀️