The answers you have to those questions can help you to understand who you are as a person and your values in life.
When you have greater understanding of who you are, it would be easier for you to then figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life and how to get there.
Confused about what to study in university or what career to get into? Think about what brings joy to you, and what degree or career would help you to do more of that.
Not sure how to convince employers to hire you for a particular job? The more you know about who you are and why you’re doing something, the easier it is for you to convey that message to someone else.
Contemplating whether to quit your job and jump into a different field? Does the new field align with your values and purpose in life? Would it bring more joy? Do you have the necessary skills or relevant experiences to be able to make that transition as smooth as possible? If not, what else can you do to make it through?
The more clear you are who you are as a person, the better your overall life satisfaction would be.
Why do I say this?
It’s because when you are living your life based on your own terms, you are less likely to compare yourself with other people. You would know that everyone has their own paths in life to follow, and that would help you to be more content with where you are in your life.
Self-reflection also helps you in other aspects of your life, such as improving your relationships (with your family, friends, colleagues, etc). It can help you to think about any toxic traits that you may have that may harm your relationships, and what you can do to fix it before it gets too late.
If you’re married and thinking about having a child (or adopting one), doing self-reflection can help you be a better parent, since you have a better idea on what your values are and what you envision your family to be like in the future (i.e. if you know that you have strong religious values, you might want your children to grow up in a home that puts religion first, etc).
Wherever you are in your life journey, it is always a good idea to spend some time periodically for some form of self-reflection to keep yourself grounded. Some people choose to do some journalling at the end of every day, writing down what went wrong or right in the day and things that they want to improve. Some do it every year (i.e. end of the year), and use it as a way to plan ahead for the next year.
However you want to do it is up to you, as long as you are comfortable with the whole process. The more self-reflection that you do, the better you’ll get at noticing things that you may have missed before. It’s hard, especially if you’ve grown up in an environment that does not cultivate the culture of speaking out about your feelings and emotions. But it will get easier with time and a little bit of practice.