Personal Inventory
Personal Inventory
This month is one of my favorite months out of the year. It’s my “Birthday Month.” Yes, I said “Birthday Month.” Among my friends and family it is common to have an entire month dedicated to ones birthday. We are half serious and half joking. It truly is the month we are celebrated and it typically is riddled with celebratory events.
Somewhere between the birthday celebrations I typically take time to do a personal inventory of where I am in life. What have I accomplished this year and what do I desire to accomplish this coming year? One of the benefits of my birthday being so close to the New Year is that most of the people I know are also asking themselves the same questions. I enjoy hearing about others goals and accomplishments. Sometimes I’ll get ideas for my life.
During New Years there is a large emphasis on physical resolutions like eating healthier and exercising more. Although I fully encourage healthier physical changes, it is important to also have a focus on other aspects of your life. Therefore, I prefer to conduct a personal inventory rather than make a New Years resolution. The four areas I focus on for the inventory are: Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual.
Each of these four areas encompass specific focuses as well. Mental includes career goals, educational advances and sharpening my skill set. Emotional is comprised of strengthening relationships, self-care and healthy boundaries. Physical involves eating habits, exercise routine and appropriate relaxation and rest. Spiritual takes a look at personal time with God, increasing biblical knowledge and seeking wisdom from other believers.
There is an adage that states: “You cannot fix that which you do not know is broken.” I realize there are areas that I excel in during the year and there are places where I need to continue working. The goal of the inventory is for me to acquire self-awareness. No one is perfect. Life consists of growing and learning. My inventory aids me in that process.
I encourage you to take an inventory of your own life. Are you satisfied with what you find? Do you desire to make changes? What goals do you have and how will you reach them? Remember that the inventory is not meant to make you beat yourself up for not having already achieved a goal. It is tool to help better your life, not a device to attack yourself. Use what you find to continue on the path to becoming who you want to be.
~Robin
