Building the habit of reflection isn’t easy.  Yet, some questions can give a much-needed prompt. Ask someone what they earned this week and they can usually remember something. Yet ask what they learned about themselves requires a much deeper level of introspection. 

A practical way to develop reflective skills is to capture learning regular — ideally weekly, or at the extreme, monthly, in a learning log. I like to try to capture my learning under the following headings:

  • What I learned about the wider world around me (for example, new insights in science)
  • What I learned professionally (for example, new insights into psychology, coaching or mentoring)
  • What I learned about the people around me
  • What I learned about myself.

In each area, I try to reflect upon:

  • What values and assumptions does this learning reinforce or enlarge?
  • What associated values and assumptions do I also need to examine now?

This kind of reflective practice raises our awareness of “becomingness” – how we are evolving and changing in our awareness, understanding and identity. That, in turn, allows us to reflect upon How would the person I used to be perceive what I observe now? And that, again in turn, allows us to be compassionate towards ourselves and towards others.

©️David Clutterbuck, 2025