The first time, I realized that I was able to reflect in action, was on stage. Reflection in action, is a term developed by Douglas Schon, who together with Chris Argyris also developed the concept of double loop learning. Reflection in action means to be able to be so present and aware that you can catch yourself in the midst of doing something, and alter course, such as changing how you’re communicating. Performing a play or dancing on stage, can be an opportunity and a must to, such as if you lose a line or someone else does in your play, you need to be able to improvise and steer it back into the original text. The same goes for dancing, if you forget a piece of choreography, or danced a motion too fast, you have to be able to improvise and do another motion, in order to not lose flow and keep the audience entertained unbeknownst.

Translating reflection in action, to our daily lives, means to remember to be aware and present in all your interactions. Ask yourself regularly: Am I doing what I planned to? Am I doing this my preferred way, or the right way as told? Am I coming across to others in a manner I didn’t mean and can say something differently or in a different way? Being present like this, also enables our instincts and our intuition to speak more loudly.

Then we can of course also reflect on action, which means to think about what we did, said and wanted afterwards an event, situation or in a relationship. This enables us to evaluate what we’re doing so that we can understand and find our own motivation to change, and do so accordingly.

To discuss your reflections, don’t hesitate to contact your favorite lifecoach!