By Jack Perry
Most of us are familiar with personnel evaluations, but how many of us take the time to sit ourselves down for a personal evaluation? In the same way an assessment and one-on-one discussion with those who work for us can yield new insights and better results, a self-evaluation can lead to greater personal and professional success. A personal evaluation offers an opportunity to step back and measure your progress while finding new ways to realize your potential more fully.
Evaluations are a way for you to put your priorities where they should be. All too often, we march to someone else’s drum, and we don’t have our priorities aligned the way we really want them. We allow other people’s opinions and needs to guide us. Self-evaluation will help you get on course and put you in touch with the reality of the life you choose.
If you’re looking for better results than you have been getting from your life and work, give yourself a check-up every quarter. Commit to doing this regularly, and don’t let anything stand in your way; honor this commitment to yourself.
Consider every aspect of your life in your evaluation, and, just as you would with an employee, look at yourself fully and objectively, with eyes wide open. In all areas of your life, where are you performing as you’d like to be and where are you underperforming?
Evaluate your:
Physical health
Spiritual life
Relationships, both personal and professional
Educational activities and personal development
Hobbies and recreation
Level of giving back in terms of money, time, or effort
Ask yourself a series of questions and document your answers with a recorder or on paper. Consider verifying your findings with others, such as a coach or another trusted individual who will tell it to you straight.
The more specific you get with your answers, the better your chances for success. Here are some suggested questions to get you started thinking about your own personal evaluation.
“What one thing could I eliminate from my life today in order to improve my life?” Think about your bad habits. What do you do or consume to excess, even though you know it’s detrimental to your life and health? Are you willing to give up cigarettes? Coffee? Wine? Television? Worry? In order to have a happier, healthier life, what can you do without?
“What is something I could add to my life that would improve my life?”
No one knows you better than you do. What good habits would you like to get into? Daily exercise ? Classes or seminars? Setting aside even a small amount of time each day for prayer or meditation? A resolution to go out of your way to help someone else each day? An hour of reading every day on your chosen topic of expertise?
“Who are the really important people in my life, personally, professionally, and otherwise?”
In your family, your community, your business, social, and charitable lives, how are you managing your relationships? Which ones could you improve with more time and attention? Which, if any, should you seek to change or eliminate because they’re detrimental?
“What are some of the financial goals I want to accomplish?”
Force yourself to focus on your real goals and be honest with yourself, even if you haven’t always thought realistically about your finances. What kind of income do you want to have? How much debt can you manage, if any? How much do you want to have in the way of retirement assets? What do you need to do to begin to meet these goals?
“What are some of the hobbies or activities I would like to be able to have in my life?”
Appraise your values and how well you’re acting with them as guideposts. Outside of your work and personal relationships, what brings you joy? Do you need to make time to do more of that? How can you bring greater personal fulfillment into your life? How can you give back to your community? To those who helped you get where you are today?
The Rewards of Honest Reflection
Quarterly personal evaluations will bring tremendous results. Once you cut out waste by eliminating those things that are not contributing to what’s really important in your life, you’ll discover you have more time than you might have thought you had for personal fulfillment. You will also discover that you have more time to do what you want to do and even the reason you were put on this Earth…a purposeful life.
What’s more, by taking an honest look at yourself, you’ll have a greater chance for success by sharpening your focus on where you choose your life to go. Your greater self-confidence will help you stay on course better than you could have before you looked inside yourself and committed to changing your life based on what you saw. With regular personal evaluations, you’ll achieve the life you want to live sooner and easier than you ever imagined. Take a look.
Evaluations from the Respect Factor® Series
THE RESPECT FACTOR® is a trademark of Jack Perry in the United States and other countries. Used with permission. ©2009 Jack Perry. All rights reserved.
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