experience adds more value with reflection

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: experience adds more value with reflection 💭 

self-awareness can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse, but i believe it does more good than harm.

is it really that bad if you’re able to rationalize your stress and worry?

being aware of the many ways different experiences shape your thoughts, habits and beliefs is an asset and invaluable in maximizing the benefit from those experiences in your life. 🏆

that awareness comes with reflection. sure, those experiential takeaways and lessons probably manifest in some sort of way in your life; however, reflecting on them allows you to actually internalize that growth and set new goals for yourself.

even with my gap year, i didn’t realize just how much i’ve grown until i reflected deeply on it (i promise i’m cooking up a blog post on my whole year soon …. it’s in the drafts). i could observe changes in myself before, but it was hard to define them until i fully developed my thoughts in writing and conversation about it. 🗣️ now that i’m aware of my growth, i can articulate my experiences better, set larger goals, and of course, i know so much more about myself.

reflection looks different for everyone. maybe you stare at a wall and think, maybe others go on long walks, or write endlessly in their journals. it’s up to what works for you, but it’s important that you reflect on impactful experiences.

contextualizing your growth, mistakes and learning from specific instances or memories makes it more real. don’t let that growth go to waste by letting is fester as an occasional quirk or conversation in your character — connect dots, extrapolate from the experiences, and soak in all the value you possibly can get from it. 🧽

the thought of reflecting about everything is probably daunting. i’m not telling you to do that. just take a moment after a cool conference, fun trip, failed exam or maybe a particularly amazing day and think. don’t let life just pass by! self-awareness and reflection let’s you absorb all the wisdom life has to offer.

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