The Power of Reflection

"We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." John Dewey Building a reflection habit helps us process our experiences better and also remember the best moments. I'm in the middle of a "career" transition right now, and I've been given the opportunity to reflect on my experience with Royal Basketball School. It's amazing that a little over a year ago when I began coaching at Royal, I hated living in LA and had no idea that coaching youth sports was my calling. Fast Forward Reflecting gives me the opportunity to appreciate all the memories I have working with Royal and also all how I can improve as a coach. I appreciate all the fantastic coaches I have been able to work with and the kids who were helping me become a more impactful coach. Royal is one of the reasons I found a home and began to like living in LA because of the people I was around. The opportunity to coach with Royal has now prepared me for the next chapter of my coaching career as the Boys Frosh/Soph Coach for Venice HS and turning Bridging Impact into a youth basketball and leadership organization. How to Utilize the Power of Reflection At the end of every day, I journal for at least 5 minutes, if not sometimes 10 reflecting on the day. What did I do well today? How could I have improved as a coach? What did I learn today? What challenged me today? Constantly reflecting on my experience as a coach has helped me become a better coach for the next day. As coaches & adults, we always expect kids to constantly be learning from their mistakes and growing. But what about us? Shouldn't we continue the same practice of striving to grow every day? Using the tool of reflection gives us an opportunity to first create self-awareness where we need to improve. If we don't reflect on our experiences, we don't know what we did well and should double down on. We most certainly won't know our blind spots & how can make an improvement. Making Reflection a Habit

1. Choose a Time: When creating habits, it's best to choose a specific time every day to reflect. For me, it's part of my process before I go to bed.

2. How to Reflect Best: I'm a huge believer in journaling, and I believe it's helped enormously with my self-awareness. But if you don't want to journal, you can reflect on a walk, a drive, or a conversation with a friend.

3. Pass it On: As leaders, it's imperative we help pass the skill of reflection on to our athletes. At the end of practice, give them an opportunity to write or, at the minimum, ask questions about the practice went.

Remember, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein. As coaches & leaders, reflecting gives us the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments and improvements in our life to achieve our goals. Reflecting also gives us the opportunity to express gratitude and appreciate the moments in front of us because we never get them back. Please share your stories of how you reflect or how your team reflects. PS: I turn these blog posts into podcast episodes, so if you want to see me dive further into this topic, check it out on Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify!