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Reflect
This final stage has two parts: (1) gauge again and (2) record.
Gauge Again
As suggested under “Apply and Practice,” you will want to gauge your

progress. Have you become more innovative? Do you better communicate in teams?
Do you have a better understanding of other key principles of management?
Record
Many people might stop at the gauge again point, but they would be missing
out on an incredibly valuable opportunity. Specifically, look at what you have learned
and achieved regarding your goals, and chronicle your progress in some form of a
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journal. A journal may be a required component of a principles of management
course, so there may be extrinsic as well as intrinsic motives for starting to keep a
journal.
There are also various exercises that you can partake in through your
journaling. These allow you to challenge yourself and think more creatively and
deeply. An effective journal entry should be written with clear images and feelings.
You should aim to include your reactions along with the facts or events related to
your developmental goals. The experience of certain experiments may not necessarily
be what you thought it would be, and this is what is important to capture. You are
bound to feel turmoil in various moments, and these feelings are excellent fodder for
journaling. Journaling allows you to vent and understand emotions. These types of
entries can be effective at giving yourself a more rounded perspective on past events.
In addition to the goals you are evaluating, there are numerous things to write
about in a journal. You can reflect on the day, the week, or even the year. You can
reflect on events that you have been a part of or people you have met. Look for
conclusions that you may have made or any conflicts that you faced. Most important,
write about how you felt. This will allow you to examine your own emotional
responses. You may find that you need to make a personal action or response to those
conflicts. The conclusions that you make from your journal entries are the ingredients
to self-growth. Facing those conflicts may also change your life for the better, as you
are able to grow as a person.
You should also always go back and review what you have written. Think
about each journal entry you have made and what it means. This is the true aspect of
self-growth through journaling. It is easy to recognize changes in yourself through
your journaling. You may find that you had a disturbing idea one day, but the next
your attitude was much better. You may also find that your attitude grows and
improves day by day. This is what makes journaling a true self-growth tool.
Journaling may be inexpensive, but it does require time and commitment. The
time factor itself can be small, only about 10 minutes a day or maybe 30 minutes a
week, depending on how you would like to summarize your life. You do, however,
have to be motivated to write on a regular basis. Even if you do not have a lot of time
to write, you will still be able to enjoy the large amount of personal growth that is
available through journaling. Perhaps this suggests that your first goal set relates to
time set aside for journaling.

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