Living What We Believe: From Reflection to Practice

We can talk about the same problem for six months and become experts at explaining why it exists. Self-awareness becomes transformative when it changes what we practice. 

Try it out!

Sit with yourself, and look inward without judgment, ask yourself these questions, notice where our intentions and actions separate, and choose one area ready to grow...

Instead of repeatedly asking “Why do I keep doing this?” we begin gathering evidence.

What do I actually do?

When?

What happens right before it?

Reflection helps us see the pattern.

Practice gives us the opportunity to choose differently.

This self-paced activity is the first step, be honest with yourself. Ask for help if you need support, we can spiral into grief and regret or we can move forward in brave action.

STEP 2

Get to know your new accountability partner!

Daylio is an app, available in most mobile app stores. We use it this way:

Create an Activity for each behavior you want to observe, do not list more than 3. Name each action, be specific so that your noticing does not imply a good or bad outcome.

For example:

Instead of	Track as
Stop interrupting myself	I noticed myself interrupting
Stop people pleasing	I noticed myself saying yes without thinking of the full impact of the request
Stop procrastinating	I noticed myself avoiding a task
Control anger	I noticed my body becoming activated
Set better boundaries	I noticed myself overriding a boundary

Each time the behavior is noticed, make a Daylio entry and select that activity. The entry itself becomes one observation of the behavior.

Mindful self compassion starts with noticing—not reducing or changing anything. Each time we recognize the behavior, we record it in Daylio.

So if we notice the behavior 12 times this week and 20 times next week, that does not necessarily mean we're getting worse. It often means our noticing is getting sharper.

We can develop greater awareness and catching something that previously happened automatically is Pattern Recognition.

For at least 21 days, we are not trying to change this behavior. We are practicing noticing it.

When possible, add a short note:

What happened right before it? 

What did I notice in my body? 

What did I seem to need, protect, avoid, or seek?

Soon enough, you will be able to say: “I noticed and made a different choice.” As you track, also include any "choice based moments, and Daylio will begin to show you and me that movement from automatic behavior → awareness → choice, is growing the muscles of new actions. 

At the end of the 21 day experiment, you will see you and your patterns more accurately. If you are now working with a mentor or therapist, you may feel the need for support so email groups@growURpotential.org and let us support you in Moving Into Action!