After the Party is OverHere on the East Coast, you might be excused for forgetting it’s January, with
temperatures more like May or June. But despite the opportunity to bask in a little warm sunshine without having to board an airplane, there’s still that January letdown, the one that shows up after the last of the holiday festivities are over, the boughs of evergreens are on the recycled trash heap, and the gym is once again overcrowded. Call it the winter blahs if you wish, but I think the prevailing mood has more to do with that hardy perennial, the New Year’s resolution.
Every media outlet hounds us about them beginning December 26th. Along with all the pious pronouncements about why resolutions are good for you come the earnest articles about why you will probably not keep the ones you make. You already know why: they were unrealistic in the first place, you haven’t entered them in your electronic calendar, real ice cream just tastes better than whipped tofu. And so on. What if this year, you could resolve to take up a new practice that requires very little extra time, costs nothing, and actually feels good? You can even do it while you’re living up to those other resolutions – taking long walks, riding the Metro instead of driving, enjoying more downtime in the bathtub. Chances are you’re already doing it, just not consciously. I’m talking about reflective thinking – the complement to the
reactive or “process” thinking that tends to govern our waking hours. Reflection is necessary to cement the things you are continually learning in your memory, because it enables you to assign meaning to the myriad of experiences you have every day. Reflection is the “time out” your brain needs to process the mix of sensory perceptions, emotions, and communications you are being bombarded with all
the time. Reflection is how you figure out what you really think, and therefore who you really are. Frequently my coaching clients tell me they can’t find the time for reflection, or they don’t think they know how to do it. Very often, when we probe what’s behind those assessments, we discover that that there’s another really huge or “master” assessment, namely that if you’re not constantly in action you aren’t really
accomplishing anything. This is such a powerful assumption in these times that it is often literally impossible for people to see how driven by it they are. It’s as though we were all afflicted with some profound variety of attention deficit disorder. Various theorists propose various reasons for why we are so reluctant to sit quietly with our own thoughts. Suffice it to say that if you aren’t reflecting in a conscious way, your
brain is doing it for you automatically, running the program in the background – and you might not like the logic it is using while unsupervised by you. Dedicated reflection practice will raise the whole thought process to the conscious level, and is a necessary precursor to planful action. If you skip this step, you’re far less likely to get to where you really want to go in life.
The good news is you don’t have to retreat to a mountaintop to bring more reflective thought into your life. Start wherever you are, and build some reflection time into your daily routine. If you already exercise most days, turn off the iPod for five or ten minutes and turn your thoughts inward as you walk or jog on the treadmill. If you already keep a journal, throw in a good question for deep reflection once a week or so. If you do the
dishes every evening, turn off the TV and enjoy your time at the sink by spending it with your own thoughts. You’ll soon see that reflection happens regardless of the surroundings or the length of time you devote to it. You may find it adds to the experience to set up a regular reflection ritual, perhaps lighting a few candles and settling into your favorite armchair
with some soft music and a cup of hot tea. But your brain doesn’t require any of that. A good “quieting” practice, like taking a few deep breaths or centering yourself, will quickly put you into the posture for good reflective thought. Anywhere, anytime. Just do it. Coaching is a great way to help you set up your own regular reflection practice and enjoy
the benefits of reflective thought. Let’s talk about how coaching can work for you. Call (410)626-6008, or email info@bloomfieldassociates.com. 
Jumpstart your reflective thinking practice by exploring one simple yet powerful question at a time over several days or even weeks. You may
choose to write down your thoughts, or simply to note them to yourself. Here are a few suggestions for good questions for reflection; be sure to come up with some of your own: - What gives me joy? What makes me sad?
- What activities have real meaning for me?
- What things are closest to my heart?
- If I could do anything, what would that be?
- What is it about this situation or problem that really tears at me?
- What part do I play in perpetuating the situation or the problem?
- What gift do I have to give to the world?
- What is it in me that keeps me from showing up more often as my
best self?
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A workplace study of more than 1,000 U.S. workers, conducted by the Gallup Organization and the Institute for the Future, showed that the average professional receives 11 Post-it Note messages each day. American companies lose $588 billion per year because of unnecessary distractions
caused primarily by technology tools such as email and instant messaging, according to a report by an independent IT analysis firm. About half of all corporate boards concede to doing a poor job of planning for CEO succession, and roughly half have no succession plan in place, according to two recent surveys of public, private, and non-profit board members. Also, less than 15 % of
directors believe their boards are effectively managing and developing future executives. 
Virtual Video Interviews A growing number of employers are using digital video-recording and internet
technologies to screen job applicants who have pre-recorded their answers to a set of standard interview questions tailored to a particular class of job. Not only can this system save untold hours of HR staff and managers’ time, it also may be more EEO-compliant, since everybody in a company who views the “interview” sees the same thing. 
 A Few Good Men, directed by Rob Reiner. What I like about it: An old
favorite that popped onto the TV screen as I surfed the cable channels one recent chilly evening, this is still a great flick to explore the nature and qualities of true leadership. A terrific cast and engaging dialogue combines with a compelling story to illustrate the courage it takes to make crucial decisions among competing values.
Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates  A Natural History of the Senses, by Diane Ackerman. What I like about it: She goes through sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell in exquisite
detail -- how each works and how each affects us. Did you know that nothing brings back a memory faster or more consistently than a smell? It's a fascinating read.
Elvia Thompson Staller
Webmistress Extraordinaire
Stellar Productions Share what
you’re into — books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us the title and author or other pertinent information, along with a sentence or two on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we’ll not only quote you, we’ll provide a link to you or your website.
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"To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."
-- Lao Tzu | 
