Self Reflection: Your Wellbeing and Your Goals

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Reflection and Goal Setting

Beginnings and endings often make us think. When relationships, jobs, or projects end, we often reflect on recent events and our desired future state. Taking time to reflect on what went well, areas for improvement, and lessons learned can give us clarity on what matters to us and how to set goals that help us achieve what is most important to us.

Why We on’t Pause To Reflect

It’s human nature to want to keep the past in the past and move boldly into the future. Consequently, we often skip over self-reflection that could help us learn from the past, select the right goals, and identify the why that will help us succeed. We may also want to skip self-reflection to avoid dealing with unpleasant truths or uncomfortable emotions. While pausing to reflect can be hard, it can help prevent you from patterns of behavior that keep you stuck.
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Let’s look at a straightforward self-reflection activity that can help you select the right goals and make the progress you want.

How To Think About Your Wellbeing

I use Gallup’s Five Elements of Wellbeing model as a starting point. This model identifies and labels five important areas that work together to form our overall wellbeing:

• Career Wellbeing: You like what you do every day.
• Social Wellbeing: You have meaningful friendships in your life.
• Financial Wellbeing: You manage your money well.
• Physical Wellbeing: You have energy to get things done.
• Community Wellbeing: You like where you live.

In short, if you’re struggling in one area of wellbeing, it will harm your overall wellbeing. By reflecting on each area, you will start to see connections between the different areas, how the areas impact one another, and how you could make positive changes to improve your overall wellbeing. 

Reflection Questions for Each Element of Wellbeing

​Use these questions to reflect on each of those five elements of wellbeing:

• In a sentence or two, what does _______ wellbeing mean to you?
• On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, how would you rate your current satisfaction with your ______ wellbeing?
• Over the past few months, list one thing that positively affected your _____ wellbeing.
• Over the past few months, list one thing that may have negatively affected your _____ wellbeing.
• List one way you could improve your ____ wellbeing. 

An Example Reflection: Community Wellbeing

Here's an example of what this reflection might look like as you think about community wellbeing:

• In a sentence or two, what does community wellbeing mean to you?
  For me, community wellbeing is about being a part of different groups of people that matter to me. That includes relationships with co-workers, professional colleagues, neighbors, and people with similar interests.
  
  
• On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best, how would you rate your current satisfaction with your community wellbeing?
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• Over the past few months, list one thing that positively affected your community wellbeing.
  I took on a volunteer role within one professional development group.
  
  
• Over the past few months, list one thing that may have negatively affected your community wellbeing.
  When work was hectic, I had less time to dedicate to that volunteer role. 
  
  
• How have the other areas of wellbeing impacted your satisfaction with this area of wellbeing?
  When I was part of a big work project, it required more of my energy than usual. This left me with less energy for social interactions, and I felt stressed out because of work and my community involvement.
  
  
• List one way you could improve your community wellbeing.
  ​Looking at my calendar and making sure I proactively manage my time can help me not overcommit myself to do too many community activities when I have other commitments.
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Reflection Question for Your Overall Wellbeing

After reflecting separately on each element of wellbeing, ask yourself the following question about your overall wellbeing:

​Based on your reflection on each element of wellbeing, which area do you want to focus on?​

Your Reflection Insights and Your Goals

By going through this activity and evaluating your lived experiences through the lens of each area of wellbeging, you may notice trends. For example:

• You may notice that not having enough energy is a common theme, which may prompt you to focus on areas of your physical wellbeing like getting more sleep, healthier eating, or addressing emotional/mental health concerns. 
• You may notice that your job satisfaction is not where it should be and that you need to focus on your career wellbeing like figuring out your longer term career aspirations, having a conversation about your work future, or considering other employment options. 

Use what you learn from your reflection to inform how you focus your attention and what goals you set.

What Do You Think?

Do you factor your wellbeing into your overall goal setting? How do you do that? Include your thoughts in the comments.

Learn More

• Gallup's Five Elements of Wellbeing
• The Layoff Lady: Self Reflection: Your Values
• The Layoff Lady's Ultimate Guide To Answering The Question, "I Just Got Laid Off--Now What Do I Do?"​
• The Layoff Lady Book: Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide