Hello Friends and Welcome to Bhogal Talks.
How has your Weekend been and Happy Mother’s day to all the Mother’s past, present and future out there in the U.K.
On my usual long walks with philosophical talks I ran into an old friend or should I say I was bear hugged by them! A great reminder in how people remember how you made them feel is timeless. Despite years having passed since we last spoke, it felt like no time had gone by.
A rewind back in time, where should I am I going?
6th June 2020, during the covid years, a sense of emptiness as I travelled to the brand-new flagship office that the team and I tirelessly poured our efforts into setting up during covid lock-downs, our colleagues working remotely. I was going through the motions daily with little to keep me interested in driving forward.
A moment of inspiration from listening to a well known podcaster mentioning the “Reflected Best Self” Exercise.
ask those closest to you from a range of circles to tell you about a time they felt you were at your best. A story, an example or memory they have.
Write them an email, send them a message, ask them face to face, whatever you thought would work best and give them a reasonable amount of time to respond back.
My nerves were shot even thinking of the idea of asking people out of the blue a question like this, what they would say, what if they didn’t respond?
Whilst waiting for the responses
Part 2 collect objective data about yourself the podcaster recommended (this isn’t sponsored). The Top 5 strengths tests from Gallop, the output would be my top 5 unique blend of traits based questionnaire responses
My results:
When the answers started to come back to me
A nervousness came upon me when seeing the emails slowly hit my inbox, a genuine sense of dread, I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was I was afraid of seeing my blind spots, that they may say there was nothing good to say….
Similar themes and words were tieing unrelated responses to one another. Taken back by the thought and effort people put into their responses, for them a moment of vulnerability recounting a heartfelt memory or personal story with me at the center of it.
Grateful of the gift of the responses.
The data + responses now what?
Reviewing and compare the notes, a mashup of subjective + Objective. I rated it at a 90% correlation between the two sets of information, reassuring me of where my best qualities and when they shine through the brightest.
It was enough to reinvigorate my desire for something more meaningful, I wasn’t quite sure where I was going into 2021. The process had given me a direction and the thought of something new, maybe a mini reinvention, as I ended my 7-year tenure at that particular org.
The Takeaway
If you’re unsure where to direct your energy or feel stuck, self-reflection can help.
• Ask people you trust to share moments when they saw you at your best.
• Use tools like personality or strengths assessments to complement their feedback.
• Compare both sets of data for insights into your unique strengths.
This exercise helped me get back on track—and it’s something I revisit whenever I need clarity.
What tools or methods have you used for self-reflection?
Let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have a great week ahead
Thanks
Gurpal