Motivation Series: The Incredible Importance of Introspection

<p><strong>The Incredible Importance of Introspection<br></strong><br></p><p>Sometimes motivation starts with insight. <br> <br> Every year millions of self-help books are sold. Add to that courses, apps, programs and more and it’s a multibillion dollar industry. Here’s the thing, the answers you are looking for, can almost always be found within. <br> <br> Often when we go seeking external help from a “self-help” source, which is kind of a paradox, it’s because we are either feeling stuck in a “Groundhog Day” routine or we feel our life is out of control.<br> <br> If you feel like that, you’ve taken a first step, which is recognition.<br> </p><p>Self-awareness starts with recognition of an issue that you could have control over but you’ve perhaps let go of. You have started to look inward, or introspect. <br> <br></p><p>Wilhelm Wundt, the father of experimental psychology, taught that <strong>introspection could be used to reveal one's consciousness</strong>. <br> <br> He promoted the theory that we have the ability to think about, and then have a chance to actively alter, our motives, feelings, and situations.</p><p><br>Looking inward is an essential step towards self-awareness. Self-awareness will improve your:<br> <br> Communication </p><p>Listening Skills</p><p>Empathy</p><p>Critical Thinking </p><p>Decision Making </p><p>Leadership </p><p>Self-Control</p><p>Creativity</p><p> </p><p>And much more.</p><p> Introspection is the process where you look inward and examine your thoughts, previous and potential actions, and emotions. <br> <br> <br> This is something that becomes easier with age but in youth, if learned and practised, can be a powerful tool to help you achieve your goals. <br> <br> The warning is that you can overdo it and start ruminating to the point where you get stuck in a mental quagmire. <br> <br> To quote author Frank Herbert of Dune fame, “Truth suffers from too much analysis.”<br> <br> or fellow author Phillip K Dick, “The problem with introspection is that it has no end.”<br> <br>