I find myself in yet another season of self discovery. This seems to go in 3-5 year waves and on the one hand is very discouraging and annoying. On the other hand, I feel quite fortunate to have such a multitude of opportunities to choose from on my horizon and I am thankful that I even have the time and possibility to make some core evaluations about what I really want to be in life and where I want to go.

It is always encouraging for me to look through my goals and the progress, or lack of progress, toward those goals. Some I have far exceeded, some I have not made any substantial progress worth noting, and others I have abandoned all together. Reviewing them periodically is quite encouraging from the perspective of remembering the previous season of live and starting to look toward my next horizon. It serves to close a chapter in a sense.

Everyone has their own way of setting goals and tracking their progress toward those goals and I think it is important to allow this freedom in methods to suit the individual most appropriately. For me, I find myself creating a type of report card that covers a number of topics and I use to rank myself then ask my friends and family to rank me. This is a bit more formal than most, I understand that… Please don’t judge, refer to my previous statement.

I look at topics like:
Spirituality – Am I growing and challenging myself spiritually? Am I engaged with people that are growing in a similar direction and season of life? Do I have people who are a little farther down the road that are building into my life? Am I developing relationships with others to mentor and teach?

Family – Am I pursuing my wife well? Am I loving her in ways that are meaningful and important to her (i.e. Not just ways that are important to me)? Am I encouraging and supporting her well? Am I spending quality time with each of my kids? Do I have specific ways I am engaged with my kids that are important to them?

Business – How am I performing at work? Am I improving my skills to perform better in my job? How am I doing at execution and follow through? Am I operating in a function and role that suits my gifts, talents, and individual design?

Education & Personal Growth – Am I learning new things and growing on a personal level? Am I expanding my creativity and challenging myself creatively? Am I building into the lives of friends and colleagues in way that are healthy and significant? Am I reading new and exciting books to expand my knowledge and perspectives?

Health – Am I eating well, specifically eating correct portions? Am I getting in enough activity and exercise? Am I getting enough sleep and rest?

I am looking forward to really diving into this personal review and examination! One of my favorite philosophy (Socrates I believe) quotes of all time is “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Only by spending some time to examine my life have I found the ability to really LIVE life!
-JS