Self reflection: a Snow White moment
Many of us are familiar with the Snow White fairy tale. The ending of this fairy tale, the ending of most fairy tales is happy. What I want to focus on regarding the Snow White fairy tale is the evil stepmother’s mirror. In the fairy tale, the vain queen asks the mirror of hers that she possesses magical powers: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” and to which the mirror always answered: “You are.” As time goes on, as baby Snow White grows, the mirror’s response changes. “Queen, you are the most beautiful where you are, but Snow White is much more beautiful.”
It is safe to say that, in the real world, the mirror did not respond to the Queen. The Queen wasn’t handling her self-reflection very well. The Queen was not accepting the changes that were occurring with her physical appearance and her mental state of mind. The queen herself denied where she was in her life. Denial can lead to self-destruction of mind, body, and spirit. Many people today refuse to do self-reflection.
Comfort zones appeal to many people. We can all go to a place where we tell ourselves what we want to hear but in reality what we want to hear and what we see can be very different. I am a believer in self-reflection. It gives you that moment one on one with yourself. It is very easy to question others, but it is not so easy to question ourselves. I would like to share with you how I self-reflect, which produces positive results.
1. Love of oneself. I love myself, quirks and all. Perfection is not who I am, but a work in progress describes me better. I am not setting myself up for failure. I understand that there will be trials in this life that I am living, so I am equipped with self-love to handle whatever comes my way.
2. Examine my personal and professional relationships. I ask myself many questions during this examination of myself. How did I treat this person? How did I handle that situation? Am I too self-absorbed? This is a humbling experience when you are totally honest with yourself.
3. Examine where I am in my life personally and professionally. Have I achieved the goals I set for myself? Are my goals realistic? Do I need help from others to succeed in my goals? What changes have I noticed in myself? How do I feel about those changes? How do I feel about where I am in life? This exam helps bring clarity to your life.
4. Forgive yourself, accept yourself and move on in life. This is pretty self explanatory.
Another name I call self-reflection is ‘Clean House’. When dust accumulates in a house, it is unattractive. Once your home is clean, it becomes attractive again. Be a breath of fresh air to yourself first and then your inner light will radiate outward. As a public figure, public speaker, and role model to some, I make sure that living my life is not a reflection of negativity. I live the life in private that I show in public.
I encourage you to do self-reflection regularly. Make it part of your lifestyle. Doing so will bring great results in your personal and professional life. You will handle situations that arise with a calm attitude, which you never knew existed. Mind, body and spirit will be in sync and this will only make you better. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all? If you have really reflected on yourself, you are the fairest of all. Your everything is yourself and the life you lead. This has been your Snow White moment.
