As January draws to a close, Kathy Brooke, co-founder and coach at Be Your Own Coach, argues that real progress doesn’t come from pushing harder — but from taking time to reflect.
We made it!
The final week of January.
I’d love to tell you that sunshine, blue skies, and warmer days are just around the corner… but we live in the North, so crank your heating up and grab a brew…
How have the past four weeks been in pursuit of your goals? Managed to lean into the discomfort and take the steps needed to move forward? Or maybe the month has brought some unprecedented curveballs and more stress than trying to navigate Manchester ring road at 8am?
READ MORE: Prolific Mindset: Discomfort builds confidence (when you understand your brain)
However January has found you, it’s crucial to reflect on the past month, revisit your goals, and use this information to frame how we approach February and beyond.
We tend to think of progress as pushing forward – moving on, advancing ahead. We don’t often associate progression with stopping to reflect… After all, I’ve never seen a trail runner turning back to admire the muddy footprints they’ve left behind.
However, when it comes to mental growth – like shifts in mindset – reflection is one of the most important yet overlooked parts of the process, because of the role it plays in something called myelination.
Myelination helps the brain communicate more efficiently, and reflecting on our growth strengthens these neural pathways and supports continued cognitive development.
Imagine you are going for a walk in the woods and you come to a fork in the trail. One path is paved, clear, and even has some small lights to guide the way. The other path is barely visible, overgrown, and clearly unused. It would be easy to just take the paved, National Trust-accredited route. It’s safe, familiar, and requires little effort; however, you made a commitment to yourself to forge that new path – the one that requires effort, skill, and determination.
Slowly, you push into the dense thicket, trampling bushes, forcing back ferns, and fully committing to your Jurassic Park moment. After hours of bushwhacking, you emerge scratched, covered in shrubbery, but bursting with pride.
If you simply carried on from here, that path would quickly return to its former state. Overgrown. Disused. And next time, you’d be starting from scratch all over again.
But if you paused to retrace your steps – to review, reinforce, and maybe even lay down a little gravel – the next time you reached that fork, the path would feel clearer, stronger, and far easier to follow.
This is myelination in action – creating a stronger pathway.
In our professional development, reflection helps to strengthen the new neural pathways we create when we step outside our comfort zone, so the next time we face a similar challenge, we meet it with more confidence and less resistance.
Managers and leaders are often great at doing this with their team members in 1-2-1s – reflecting on growth and highlighting development – but how often do we take the time to do this for ourselves?
Now, I’m not saying you need to be blocking out two hours every week to sit in silence and reflect on the past seven days; however, maybe you can create a weekly 15-minute slot where you take a moment to review your week and acknowledge the wins, challenges, and opportunities.
For me, it’s a Friday at 4pm. Why? Because on Fridays I am usually in the office, and at 4pm I can sail home on autopilot, traffic-free (the sweet spot between the 3.15pm school run and the 5pm commuter train arriving).
This routinely gives me the opportunity to think about the past seven days.
For you, maybe it’s the commute, or maybe it’s whilst the kids are having their swimming lesson? Maybe it’s the 10-minute post-gym sit-down in the car? Or maybe it’s over a hot coffee on a Sunday morning? Whenever you choose, make it a non-negotiable part of your routine.
If you are struggling to get started, here are a few questions to ponder over:
- How has the week been?
- Where did I handle something well?
- Why was that, and how can I utilise this going forward?
- Where did I develop a skill or behaviour?
- Where could I have improved this week?
- What are the opportunities for me to grow and develop next week?
…you get the idea.
Essentially, you are coaching yourself by focusing your attention on your intention – and as the saying goes, “where attention goes, energy flows”.
I hope the first 31 days of the 2026 journey have been smooth sailing, and if not – don’t worry. Take some time to relax, reflect, and realign with your intention. Life is a journey, not a destination – so grab the wheel with both hands, update the sat nav, and enjoy the drive!
Next month we will be diving into all things public speaking, presenting, and confidence, so if you are looking to upskill your communication, keep your eyes peeled for the weekly column.
– Kathy
