Sunday Spotlight: Reedsy Learning and a Reflection on Reflecting
This newsletter is the most meta post I've written so far
Untitled By Alexandre Clair
A Reflection on Reflecting
In High School, I ran track. My family was always built like runners, so out of all the sports I could choose from I thought it’d be best. I ran in meets for all my four years. I was decent.
But I never tried to get better. Not until my senior year.
In the first meet of the season, I ran the 400 meter dash. Everyone usually hated it but I was the resident masochist—it was my favorite race! In this race I was running with a teammate who I’ve known for years.
Most of the race we were neck and neck, but my endurance carried my energy to the 100 meter line. She was slowing down. My first thought wasn’t about winning, it was about her.
She deserves this win more than me. I don’t really need this. That was it.
Lightning struck me on the 50 meter line. Why did I never consider myself in this equation? Why don’t I deserve this win?
I took off. I won the first race of my senior year. The first race in my four years I won.
Runners’ Legs In Motion by Peter Skinner
The electricity running through me in that moment was reflection. I metaphorically took a step back and took inventory of my actions. I didn’t think of myself, I always thought of others in school, in friendships, in sports. I realized something needed to change.
But I needed to be aware of that hurdle in order to overcome it.
Action stands on the shoulders of reflection.
When you take time to reflect on your words, choices, and actions, patterns and behaviors bubble to the surface. Reflection gives you the opportunity to pop in and examine those pattern-behavior bubbles and how they affect your goals.
It can give you a better sense of:
Self-Awareness
Self-Control
Emotional Intelligence
Personal Growth
Reflection is like a sketchy miracle drug—it can help you in any area of life. Your personal relationships, your hobbies, your work, your writing...
The possibilities are endless!
Reflection acts as a catalyst for you to start sprinting towards your goals. Once you’re able to write down what’s going right and wrong, it gives you an expanded view of what you’re able to change.
If I just stuck to the idea that others come before myself in track, I would have never gotten first place. I’d be stuck suspended in people pleasing, not only in track, but in other areas of my life too. The new perspective reflecting gives you pushes you to act instead of staying the same.
Hindsight really is 20/20, so let’s use it to our advantage—let’s learn from it.
It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment. - Marcus Cicero, Roman Philosopher
The Spotlight: Reedsy Learning
This is the second installment of me singing Reedsy’s praises. Honestly it is that good of a resource to use. The branch I choose make a habit of the most is Reedsy Learning.
I like to refer to myself as a baby writer. I’m a writer but MAN do I have work to do, especially when it comes to creative writing. That’s where Reedsy Learning came in.
They have 53 free courses ranging from publishing to writing foundations. I started with a course on “Show! Don’t tell”. Daily, I received an email from Reedsey with a bite-sized lesson and a few little writing exercises. Each lesson with the exercise took me at most 20 minutes to work through. Thanks to the repetition I saw an improvement in my writing. It’s perfect for learning on the go with a busy schedule.
They gather high quality lessons from writing professionals and I’d recommend Reedsy to writers of any level and of any genre. It never hurts to learn something new or get a refresher!
I want to know what you’d like to learn about writing! A lot of us here are writers, so what do you have the most trouble with? I know for me, I can be redundant and struggle with editing consistently.
The Weekly Newsletter Corner
Where I like to highlight the lovely people who I have had the gift of interacting with on Substack these past few months. Thank you for your support, banter, and insightful work :)
- by Enrique Betancourt - Enrique has been a supportive friend here on Substack since I began writing last June. His supportive comments and fun banter on Notes has been a joy these last few months. He’s a true example of what it’s like to reflect and grow in writing, and his newsletters on success and life are evidence of that.
- by Sophie S. - Sophie is another one of those friends who’s been with me since the beginning! Her frequent comments here on Steeped In Success have always warmed my heart when I open them. She writes on her newsletter about her journey living off the grid and her own life experience with productivity, writing, and experiencing life as a whole. It’s always a fun and thought-provoking read!
- by Dr. Julie Gurner - I’ve been going back and forth with Dr. Julie Gurner on notes for what seems like forever now! Her insightful comments and wisdom on productivity and success never get old. She writes about her experience as an executive performance coach and the wisdom she has gained from her life and profession. She always gives me something to reflect on!
Resources to Learn More
Break out that old journal you haven’t touched in years. Start thinking of your day, or an obstacle you’ve been facing lately. Write down those events and your judgements and opinions. What could have gone better? What were you proud of? What do you want to change for next time?
Here’s a list of prompts you can try from Janine Defontaine! Try out a few on a piece of paper or in a journal for 10 minutes. Even if you can’t think of anything, take those 10 minutes to write about how you can’t think of anything. Read over that writing and see what you can learn from it.
Reedsy Learning: Here’s a link to Reedsy learning, check out their many many courses and see if you find one you enjoy!
Feelin’ a little nerdy? Read Harvard Business Review’s article on the power of reflection! It’s a really insightful article.
Thanks for reading everyone!
I hope you found this article fun and helpful. If you have any newsletters or resources you’d like to see a spotlight on please comment or send me a message! I’ll see y’all on Tuesday with a look at Warren Buffet and his 25/25 Rule.
Until next teatime,
Kate
Thanks for the mention! I'm enjoying reading about your experiences with Reedsy. I've come across it so many times but never actually valued what they have to offer. I stopped reading here to go check it out again, I signed up for the show, don't tell course and then returned here 😊 They have heaps of courses!
You’re so sweet!! Love this post, thanks for the mention. I’ve been away from writing this couple of weeks but I’m creating videos and starting something in YouTube around indoor climbing. I’ll be back 🤝🏼