Task 2b: Further thoughts about keeping a Reflective Diary

                After reading my last post and paying attention to Adesola’s advice about analysis, I reflected more about how was my experience on keeping a reflective diary.

                

                The reflective diary began to help me not just at my professional life but for other things as well. It became an addictive habit. Once I was feeling confuse or wanted to have a better overview over situations, I got my notebook and began writing to help me. Each day I began to write differently as well: more detailed and more honest to myself.

                From the methods that I tried I believe that the “What if?”, “Evaluation”, “Initial Reflection” and surprisingly the “List” were the ones that brought more impact. They brought me tools to achieve a better maturity to my work. I began to reflect about my mistakes, criticisms, my goals, my focus and methods to turn my work or/and my routine better. Especially the “What if?” helped me to look at my work environment from a different perspective. I found the “List” method useful when I didn't have time and wanted to get straight to the conclusions: Ok, so what should I do now? What should I avoid?  And is interesting to look back to those lists and see if I achieved it, or if I changed my opinion about them.

                Looking back to my notes, I realized as well that there is pointless on keeping a reflective diary if you are not honest with yourself or simply don’t allow yourself to have a better view over situations. For example, how many times after coming back from auditions that you were not accepted, people ask you “How was it?” and you answer it, “It was good, I didn't get through, but it was a really good experience”. Ok, maybe you learned something from it but you are not fine. Sometimes you can be really frustrated. The moments of sadness are usually the ones that we reflect more and realize what we really want, what is the happiness. It is important to analyse those feelings.  Of course in public you should be careful with your answers, but for yourself is important to allow seeing the truth. I began to try to do this, writing about me within my current professional position or situation. And the results began to happen as well as some little, and necessary, crisis.

               

                 In school, the teacher used to give us a diary to write down our corrections. Nowadays I ask myself if the way I used to do it, really helped me. For sure was a good way to memorize choreographies, counts and technical corrections. But if I had wrote about my feelings over the days as well? For example, after a really good day that everything went well. Or the opposite, when I felt totally out of my leg and unfocused. Would I have approached better results? I think the difference on keeping a diary nowadays from my school time, is that now is more than a duty like doing my sit-ups every day. Is a way to learn about myself, and is a way which gives me a lot of freedom on how I will approach it. In school time I used to have my notebook of corrections and my diary that I used to write about whatever I want. I think nowadays I brought those notebooks to just one. Everything became more connected and I began to achieve a better maturity to my work.

                

              The conclusion that I got from this experience, is that keeping a reflective diary shouldn't be a duty instead, should be a therapy. It is useful for any type of profession. It gives you the freedom to analyse which method, which type of writing and which time of the day, it works for you to achieve better results to your routine and work.