I have found that reflection is one of the most important activities I can do, yet it is really underrated. It’s part of why we have built a number of traditions around our annual Core Value Awards Celebration which we hosted for our team this past weekend. It’s our time to reflect on the previous year and celebrate our accomplishments. Moving into our new venue, Social Capitol, gave us both an excuse to push our annual celebration from January to March and a reason to wait until we could do so in our new home.

One of those traditions is for us to debut our annual Year In Review Video, a tradition that was started almost a decade ago. It’s not a professionally done work of art, but it is a labor of love for me, and my gift to our team. It captures the essence of the year and helps us pause and remember what we did, what we went through, and how we felt. This year, we took inspiration from my sister’s “Dear 2020” project and each of our leaders wrote their own letter to 2020 and then read them for the video. You can check out this year’s video here.

While annual reflecting is great, I find a tremendous amount of benefit from taking time to reflect more frequently - monthly, weekly and daily. A journal entry each evening can be therapeutic and remind me of the things I’m grateful for. Each week, I spend time thinking about the events that happened over the past seven days and more importantly asking the question: “How did those events make me and those around me feel?” In a world that seems to reward conformity, I find inspiration in tapping into the individual and varying emotions that come up for us.

Taking time for reflection allows us to better respond to the people we are leading. From intentionally blocking out time in a calendar, to resisting the urge to pull out our phones during a free moment, there are many ways to incorporate reflection into our lives. And when we do, it provides a heightened sense of perspective, challenges us to question what we assume to be true and keeps us grounded and in touch with ourselves and those around us.