The Introspection Technique

It is tempting to get caught up in looking at others, gossiping about them, being jealous, thinking they don’t work hard enough, that they don’t take care of themselves, or what have you.

A poem on one of my grandpa’s bookmark said it all in the first stanza:

Instead of watching folks go by,
Turn on yourself the critics eye

You can easily combat this tendency of spending time thinking how others can improve by spending some focused time thinking about just what you’re up to these days.

The Introspection Technique

That’s what this introspection technique is all about. It’s a four week program from the book, Keys to Higher Consciousness by Graham Ledgerwood.

At the end of the day, review your entire day for 5-7 minutes. Follow the progressions indicated for each week.

  • Week 1: Just try to remember what you can about your day. The conversations, the thoughts, where you went and what you did.
  • Week 2: Do the same thing, except try to do it in order. That is, remember your day, but remember it in the sequence in which it occurred. Try to get through your entire day.
  • Week 3: Review your day in order and now pay particular attention to the things you did wow. “Wow, I really did the right thing there.” Think about those times when you felt really good about what you were doing.
  • Week 4: Now pay attention to the things you didn’t do well. As you review the day, stop the filmstrip of memory and pause to catch yourself doing things and thinking thoughts and feeling ways you no longer want. After the review, replace that part of the day with something you would have rather done instead.

It is likely you will find the technique so beneficial that you will continue after week four. You can make tremendous change in your life doing this technique.