Audience: Olders to Elders - SoloAgers 
- Empty Nesters - Continuing Educators 
- Professionals - Retired Creators
- Grandparents - Younger-Older-Mentors 
- and YOU!

Moving In

If you’re reading this, you’re probably moving through life on your own terms, thriving as you age--soloage, and looking for ways to build soloaging confidence. 

One robust tool/technique that can help us in this journey is Action Reflection. By reflecting on our actions and their outcomes, we can boost our confidence and lead a better -- wiser -- kinder life.

How does reflection in and on action-outcomes help us, especially as mentors, weavers of accomplishments, and celebrants of achievements?

Valuing Action Reflection

Action Reflection means taking the time to think (feel) about our actions and the results they produce.
It's about learning from our experiences to improve and focus our living life practices. 

There are two types of action reflection (acknowledge the originator of the concepts & practices: Schon (1981, 1994) with Kindle and eBook versions are available see below):

Reflection in Action: This happens while we are doing something. For example, if you're mentoring someone, you might adjust your conversations based on how well they are following along.

Reflection on Action: This happens after the mentoring (session) is done. It's when you think back on what happened and why it happened. For instance, after the mentoring conversation you might reflect on what went well and what could have been better.

From experience, there is a third type:

Reflection before Action: This prepares you for the mentoring conversation. It’s when you think (feel) through possibilities for the conversation without adding confirmation bias. It’s a reminder to ensure felt safety is forefront of the conversation, especially upon entry into the mentoring arrangement (for the day and time agreed upon)

The two, now three types of action reflection are important for building confidence and improving our skills as a mentor engaging in “mentoring as legacy” contributions.

_____
Acknowledgement: Schön’s Reflective Model
Schön, D.A. (1983, 1991).
The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in action.
London: Temple Smith.

Boosting Confidence as a Mentor

As soloagers, many of us take on the role of mentors. We have valuable life experiences and knowledge to share with others. Whether you're mentoring a young person, a peer, or even a community group, action reflection can help you be a more effective mentor.

Reflecting in Action:

While mentoring, pay attention to how your advice is being received.
Are they understanding you? Are they engaged?
If something isn’t working, be flexible.
Adjust your approach to better suit the needs of your mentee.

Reflecting on Action:

After each mentoring session, take some time to think about what went well and what didn’t.
Ask yourself questions like:
Did I listen enough?
Did I provide useful feed-forward?
How can I improve next time?
By reflecting on your mentoring experiences, you can continuously improve your approach, making you a more confident and effective mentor.

Reflecting before action:

This is the mapping//planning (design-develop) stage.
You consider the situation at hand--goals/outcomes, challenges, and experience relevance.
Ask yourself questions like:

What am I/are we wanting to achieve?
What resources do I have? What resources am I asking of the mentee?
What are the bottlenecks (system hinders) and battlenecks (person hinders)?
What has worked for me (or others) in similar situations? In the past with this mentee?

To expand and extend mentoring, you can add weaving and celebrating to your practice: 

Weaving nurtures accomplishments as the mentor and mentee adventure together.

Celebrating nourishes achievements for both the mentor’s and mentee’s unique journeys.

Weaving Accomplishments

Weaving accomplishments is about nurturing the mentoring arrangement and relationship to co-create something meaningful. It’s like weaving a beautiful tapestry from various fibers-threads-strings. 

Reflecting in Action:

While working on projects or pursuing goals, pay attention to how things are going.
Are you making progress? Are you facing any challenges?
Be ready to make adjustments. If something isn’t working, try a different approach.

Reflecting on Action:

After completing a project or achieving a goal, take some time to reflect on the experience.
Think about what you learned, what you enjoyed, and what you would do differently next time.
By reflecting on your accomplishments, you can see how far you’ve come and gain confidence in your abilities.
This process helps you appreciate your strengths and recognize areas where you can improve.

Reflection before Action:

Considerations, suggestions:
Envision the last design (goal setting//outcome suggestions).
Consider the resource allocations for what you have available.
Plan for high-level task assignment (accountabilities and responsibilities).
Anticipate challenges and flow-throughs.
Recall lessons learned. Reread your mentoring documentation.

Celebrating Achievements

For both the mentor and mentee, it’s important to celebrate personal (professional) achievements.
Celebrating acknowledges the process and outcomes of work and boosts confidence in noticing the achievements.

It’s a way to share our individual successes within the mentoring arrangement, inspiring one another to pursue own goals//outcomes.

Reflecting in Action:

While working towards an achievement, celebrate small wins along the way.
This keeps you motivated and reminds you of your progress.

Pay attention to how these celebrations make you feel.
Are they boosting your confidence? Are they helping you stay focused?

Reflecting on Action:

After achieving a goal, take time to celebrate and reflect on the journey.

Think about what made the achievement possible.
What skills and qualities did you use? What challenges did you overcome?

By reflecting on your achievements, you can gain a deeper appreciation of your strengths and abilities.
This reflection boosts your confidence and encourages you to set and achieve new goals.

Reflecting before Action:

By reflecting before action when celebrating achievements, you transform a (~ momentary) important event into gaining impetus for future growth (uplevelling and/or upscaling). 

You gain a deeper valuing of the achievement in the words of the mentee, while you acknowledge those involved, and set the stage for future success.

It's taking a conscious portrait and awareness landscape credibility pause before enjoying the celebration and appreciating the effort that went into getting HERE from THERE (where "T" is for the transition)!

Ways to Loverage Action Reflection In, On, and Before Experiencing Outcomes

For yourself as SoloAger and your encouragement of the same with your mentee (whether younger, older, elder)__Action Reflection can boost your confidence and lead a more fulfilling life.
As mentors, weavers of accomplishments, and celebrants of achievements, reflection helps us learn, grow, and appreciate our journey.

Here are practical considerations for moving your Action Reflective Practice Forward as a mentor -- weaver -- celebrant, for living legacy life, while soloaging confidently__
Read these statements through three lenses__in __on __before!

Set Aside Time for Reflection:

Make it a habit/ritual to reflect regularly.
Reflect at the end of each day, week, or month.
Find a quiet place where you can think without distractions.

Ask Yourself Reflective Questions:

What did I do today that I’m proud of?
What challenges did I face, and how did I overcome them?
What did I learn from my experiences today?
What question will you add? ___?___

Write It Down:

Keep a journal where you can write about your reflections (throughts and feelings).
Keep track of your progress and see patterns over time.

Share with Others:

Talk about your reflections with friends, family, or a mentor.
Share your thoughts can provide new insights and support [you edcuate what you love to learn-know-do].

Be Kind to Yourself/All Involved:

Remember that reflection is not about criticizing yourself and/or the other person.
It’s about learning-knowing-deciding-shaping-sharing ---growing.
Be gentle and encourage yourself and all involved.

Moving Forward:

Living confidently as a soloager is about embracing who we are and striving to improve. 

Action Reflection helps us do just that. By reflecting in, on, and before our actions, we can learn from our experiences, adapt to new situations, and make better--wiser--kinder decisions.

As mentors, weavers of accomplishments, and celebrants of achievements, we have the power to create a meaningful and fulfilling life for ourselves, support the same for the mentee, and indirectly with all those involved because of the ripple effect of the mentoring arrangement//relationships. 

Action reflection is the key to unlocking in-on-before opportunities about:

Life. Be in It. Like you feel it! Better - Wiser - Kinder

Having read the article, what actions will you take to refine and enfold your mentoring approach?

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