re·flec·tion | \ ri-ˈflek-shən
2 : the production of an image by or as if by a mirror
6 : a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation
I was participating in a weekly Mastermind the other day and we were discussing progress that we’ve made in these COVID-19 times. I, personally, wanted to bridge the reflections I had been talking about and shift into a more future focused, actionable way. I was surprisingly perplexed on what that process is called. After some long shots on guessing what that's called and good laughs at coming up with words, I looked it up. Turns out the antonym to REFLECTION, the process by which a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation, is ABSORPTION. Boom.
Making that clear distinction between reflection and absorption made it all land for me. There was a “click” and a valuable insight: where rubber meets road.
The word absorb, is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as follows:
ab·sorb | \ əb-ˈsȯrb
1 : to take in (something, such as water) in a natural or gradual way
2 : to take in and make part of an existent whole
3 : to engage or engross wholly
There is no way to really think our way forward, we can create and reflect on our visions and hold goals in our minds eye, yet ONLY make them happen by our capacity and consistency to work towards them, to authentically move forward, to absorb our insights from reflection and take action towards fully realizing them.
This is the way.
To build on this, I recommend to you (and myself included) to create balanced time for reflection AND carve out time to absorb those insights by bringing them into action, connecting our inner worlds with the outer worlds. The connection between both sides of the brain. The unique ability we have as human beings to both self-reflect and inform our actions in the wider world.
I have a dedicated morning routine that promotes my capacity for reflection and from there a place to take authentic action in the world. It’s 3 simple steps that start your day that carry you throughout the day, by way of hydrate, meditate, move. The book is called The Golden Hour: A 3 Step Morning Routine to Unlock Your Energy, Boost Performance, and Beat Burnout. If you would like to learn more about how you can start your morning off on the right foot, and in turn, the rest of the day, take a look HERE.
I hope you've enjoyed this article and found value as it applies to your everyday life.
Stay tuned for more articles and insights.
Cheers,
Brian Spear