Today is the 23rd of January 2007 in the year of are Lord. I'm on London underground Victoria line making my way to work at 9:15. Reflecting on past events. Yesterday was my project hand in day. It should have been the 15th, but due to my little son's enthusiastic jump to my neck, my eye got the brunt of it. And it landed me in hospital and inoperable for a week.

So...when trying to upload my video, I took the time to listen to the pod cast for the next assignment.

The first thing that came into my mind when I hear the word reflection is image, and I guess it would be the same for most people as the word reflection is associated to the word mirror, which shows you a reflection of yourself. But the word reflection does not only refer to an outer reflected image but also to the internal image of one’s self. Although one could reflect upon anything at any place at any time, I think the majority of people would tend to associate reflection to past experiences, weather good or bad.

I considered other words that reflection was either associated with of had a strongly related. I made a list of these words and what I think they meant.

Past - reflecting on the past.
Image - you see a reflection in the mirror.
Self - most times we reflect, it's at are selves.
Mirror - we use a mirror in the morning to examine are selves. This could be a trigger that causes us to start the reflection process.
Outcome - we reflect on the outcome of decisions we need to make.
Plans - plans often need reflection for a successful outcome.
Looking - we look with are eyes to see externally. But we look with are thoughts to reflect. Or we reflect through are thoughts to see. Or we see through are thoughts to reflect.
Time - we reflect on times in are life’s, we also reflect at different times in are life’s.
Change - reflection can some times be a catalyst for change.
Incident - incidents course us to reflect on events that has had an effect on are life’s.
Regret - looking back at the past, present or future may course you to think about other decisions you could have taken and may be regretful.

What is reflection?

Reflection is all of the above. But in my words it is the remembrances or re-evaluation of an image, thought or event. But if I where to sum it up in to a word I would use words like seeing, looking back. Reflection can easily be put in a word. Seeing, this may mean different things to different people. Seeing the future, seeing the past. So I will carry out some vox pops and make a pod cast of the opinion of others.

But in the mean time, a couple of the dictionary definitions a of reflection I like is “careful thought, especially the process of reconsidering previous actions, events, or decisions” and also “an idea or thought, especially one produced by careful consideration of something” (from the Encarta World English Dictionary) both of these definitions deal with a thought process. It’s amazing as the scientific look at reflection is less about thought and more about the movement of light in a straight line. Could there be a connection? Is thought just a movement of very fast light? After all speed is sometimes measured in light. And a theory exists about exceeding the speed of light to moving into a different time zone than the one we’re presently in. then could thought be the process in reverse but at a macro level in are brains? Are the electronic responses in are brain just the shear speed of thought? To many questions for this paper, but defiantly something to consider if it has not already been.

The different opportunities for reflection

Life is a challenge at times. It's like a super interactive game, interactive gaming keeps you interactive by creating issues to deal with within the simulation thus keeping you interested in the game. However the main focus is to make it to the end, to reach home. Every now and again, obstacles come your way in real life that have a parallel similarity to the architecture of an interactive game. If we imagine that the remote control of this game is are decision maker. Then in order to make it to the next level we need to maneuver to avoid the obstruction. The decision that we make will determine the route we take, how long and weather we make it at all.

When oppositions or an obstacle intervenes in the natural course of your every day routine, that is the time to have a look at your strategy. In order to make it to the next level we need to avoid the obstructions. If we use the remote to move left to right and that’s the normal course that we take and we find that it does not have the effect that we desire or is not working the way that it normally does that can prompt us to reflect and consider moving the remote from right to left instead. This may take a split second, a few days or even a few years, but in the game of life making it too the next level is what matters the most and ultimately to game over.

I would think the most common things that course us to reflect are disasters and unaccomplished tasks. Things you expect to go right and to your favor do not, it’s at that moment that we look back and the question looms in your head what went wrong. Another opportunity that causes people to reflect is comparison, when being measured against something of greater or lesser value. This can result in a both positive and negative outcome. A common effect of reflection is regret, I call it the should ah would ah could ah theory. When people look back at the lack off excitement and the opportunities they missed out of. These questions tend to be the type of questions that’s asked around the middle of a person’s life. This type of reflective thinking is what I think triggers off what we know as the 'mid life crisis'. At times this results in drastic changes. This could manifest in several different ways, sometimes to are physical appearance, sometime drastic action.

The outcome of these opportunities

The outcome of these things of a result of reflection tent's to be drastic and definite. Of course some cases don't have sustainability to fulfill the decision they take, but depending on the severity of the reflection or the course of the reflection will determine the successes of the out come of the time of reflection.

Reflection in it self can be very rewarding. But it brings a double reward when it influences change that moves to a positive action for improvement of ones self. I think that the decision to change is priceless. The accomplishment of self-motivation is above any other motivation, encouragement or support from others is always welcome but they say 'the best help is self help'.

Just recently I've had to do some reflective thinking my self. And I’ve had to stop, and look back. Thinking about an incident or several incidents that has made an impact on me, and what I have decided to do about my future. This can help and has helped me to think about other opportunities that will bring success. Not just financially but self-gratification, which in it self will cause more reflection and a different out come. And dissolve the need for the should ah would ah could ah theory in mid life.