How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life pdfdrive com

4. Ask the Right Questions
The value you receive from reflecting will depend on the kinds of questions
you ask yourself. The better the questions, the more gold you will mine from
your thinking. When I reflect, I think in terms of my values, relationships, and
experiences. Here are some sample questions:
Personal Growth:
What have I learned today that will help me grow? How
can I apply it to my life? When should I apply it?
Adding Value:
To whom did I add value today? How do I know I added
value to that person? Can I follow up and compound the positive benefit he
or she received?
Leadership:
Did I lead by example today? Did I lift my people and
organization to a higher level? What did I do and how did I do it?
Personal Faith:
Did I represent God well today? Did I practice the Golden
Rule? Have I “walked the second mile” with someone?
Marriage and Family: 
Did I communicate love to my family today? How
did I show that love? Did they feel it? Did they return it?
Inner Circle:
Have I spent enough time with my key players? What can I
do to help them be more successful? In what areas can I mentor them?
Discoveries: 
What did I encounter today to which I need to give more
thinking time? Are there lessons to be learned? Are there things to be done?
How you organize your reflection time is up to you. You may want to adapt
my pattern to your own values. Or you can try a system that my friend Dick
Biggs uses. He creates three columns on a sheet of paper:
Year Turning Point Impact
This system is good for reflecting on the bigger picture. Dick used it to see
patterns in his life, such as when he moved to Atlanta and was encouraged by a
new teacher to write. You could just as easily write “Event,” “Significance,” and
“Action Point” on a page to help you benefit from reflective thinking. The main
thing is to create questions that work for you, and write down any significant
thoughts that come to you during the reflection time.

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