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Have you ever wondered why you keep repeating the same mistakes, even when you work hard and accumulate experience? In this episode of Speaking with Confidence, I dig deep into a powerful question: what’s really holding you back from growing as a communicator and professional, and how can you break the cycle and accelerate your progress for real?

Hi, I’m Tim Newman, a recovering college professor turned communication coach, and your host on this journey toward showing up with confidence in every conversation. On today’s episode (inspired by last week’s impactful discussion with Danielle Droitsch about aligning self-confidence with your authentic self), I unpack a concept that hits home for many of us: the difference between simply remembering what happened and truly reflecting on it.

Here’s an overview of what we’ll dive into:

• Why passive reminiscing (just replaying past events in your head) isn’t enough and actually keeps you on a treadmill of old mistakes.
• John Maxwell’s Law of Reflection, which shows that evaluated experience, not just experience alone, drives genuine improvement.
• The four-step “Four I’s” framework for effective reflection: Investigation, Incubation, Illumination, and Illustration. I explain each with practical examples of how to dig deeper, create space to process, capture insights, and document them so they’ll guide your next steps.
• How to use Maxwell’s personal awareness questions to surface real patterns standing in the way of your growth.
• Why scheduling time for reflection, documenting what you learn, and acting on those lessons is the fastest way to compounding progress.
• The difference between growth that is intentional, structured, and measurable, versus “busyness” that leads nowhere, and how the top 1% protect their reflection habit like any high-priority task.
• Actionable advice on setting up your own reflection rhythm using daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual check-ins (with specific time recommendations and real-life examples).
• My challenge to you: block ten minutes today for structured reflection and see how quickly you can start gaining new insights.
  
  If you’re eager to turn your past into a resource for future success rather than just a collection of memories, this episode lays out the step-by-step blueprint to get you there. I invite you to try the system for a week, observe the difference, and remember, we’re seeking progress, not perfection.
  
  Don’t forget, you can grab your free eBook, “The Top 21 Challenges for Public Speakers and How to Overcome Them,” at speakingwithconfidencepodcast.com, or register for the Formula for Public Speaking course.
  
  Your voice has power, so let’s use it, and let’s grow together. I’ll talk to you next time.

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