Personal Success Tips #231
Honest Self Appraisal
Success means many different things to everyone. Your personal definition of success will drive your attitudes, behaviors and actions. Your values and beliefs will also contribute to the outcomes you will experience as you travel life’s highway in your career and relationships.
From time to time regardless of where you are on the path of life; succeeding, failing or somewhere in between it is prudent to reflect on who you are, why you act the way you do, where you are heading and how your attitudes and beliefs are impacting the quality of your life.
I know many millionaires who just keep on counting the money as it accumulates but who are unsure as to why they are worrying so much about this part of their life. I have met thousands of people around the world as a speaker who cannot be happy until some future event or circumstance comes into their life. And I know a number of people who just seem to wander through life waiting, for what I am not sure, but waiting is what they do best. Oh yes they might send out a resume here and read a self-help book there. Attend a seminar when there is nothing else to do or immerse themselves in useless activities that give them the illusion of positive forward movement.
Have you ever asked yourself:
- What would you do in your life if you were told you had 6 months to live?
- How would you spend or invest the winnings from the lottery?
- If you were on your way to the poorhouse after years of wealth, how would you respond?
- If you were stranded on a desert island for the rest of your life, who would you want with you (only one person) and what books would you bring (only six)?
- How do you know if your life is following your destiny?
- What legacy do you want to leave behind after you are gone?
- If you could be any age, what would you choose and why?
- If you could live anywhere other than where you are, why aren’t you there now?
- Are your life strategies working?
- If you are not really happy inside your own skin, what is it going to take?
- If you are under a great deal of stress why do you tolerate these circumstances or people?
- If you haven’t yet done something significant with your life, what are you waiting for?
There are dozens of additional questions I could ask you that hopefully would trigger some fruitful inner dialog and ultimately create the inspiration to change something in your life. But, I can’t do all of the work for you. Some of the value in self-appraisal is coming up with the questions you are going to ask yourself. This can be scary work but it can also be extremely rewarding if you have the will to come up with the questions and the courage to answer them honestly. Once you have done this you are more than halfway there. All that is left is to begin. Don’t try and change your life today, just begin.