Self Reflection Is More Than Necessary
This has been a weird week for me. It’s the first week that I’m not traveling on my off days and it would be amazing if I wasn’t feeling under the weather. I was really looking forward to staying home and just relaxing by catching up on some things. I am still doing that, but these sniffles and cough aren’t making it too relaxing.
I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not feeling well, but I haven’t been in the best of moods this week either. Despite not feeling well, at work, I still was able to buy engagement items for my drivers, volunteer with a non profit called Table to Table, hosted a meeting for an affinity group I started for Black employees in my region, hosted another meeting with business owners that partner with my station, attended several other meetings, and had a great week metric-wise. All of this was on top my regular scope of work. I also worked one less day this week because I went to a wedding over the weekend.
Despite getting all this accomplished, I still didn’t have my normal sense of fulfillment. Since I wasn’t in the best of moods, some things that typically don’t affect me got under my skin. At one point, I was upset with myself and I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why (don’t judge me). I am always my biggest critic but being sick made me think for some reason I could have doing more if I was feeling better. Once I realized how detrimental my thinking was, I had to take some time to reflect.
This month is the first pay check on my promotion salary. The amount of taxes that came out got me tight (Uncle Sam, we can throw hands), but then I had to do some more reflecting. I am all about transparency, so let me share some numbers. My promotion increased my salary by 29%, however my take home check only went up around 16%. I had to realize that I am now in a different tax bracket. I also took it a step further and looked at what I’ve made year to date. After only 4 months in 2022, I almost made more than my entire income in 2018. Mind you, in 2018, I was working 3 different jobs while obtaining my masters. I used to pray to only have to work one job that could give me the same amount of money as the three. Now I literally will surpass that 12 month income in 4.5 months. That definitely put things into perspective.
I am also currently reading a book called Getting Things Done by Eric C. Bliss. On page 142 there is a section called Self Quiz. The quiz had a series of 30 yes or no questions. These 30 questions further allowed me to reflect and made me feel better about myself. I did not answer yes to all of the questions, but I did say yes more than I said no. That’s growth! We have to celebrate our progress! We often don’t reflect so we don’t realize all the strides that we have made. The book suggested that you should take this quiz every 6 months and I plan on doing just that. Check out the questions below and take your own self quiz. Whatever the results are, just know it’s okay. Be patient and encourage yourself, because if you don’t, no one will. Keep chasing those millions!
Self Quiz Questions
Do I have -in writing- a clearly defined set of lifetime goals?
Do I have a similar set of goals for the next six months?
Have I done something today to move me closer to my lifetime goals? My short-term goals?
Do I have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish at work during the coming week?
Do I try to do the most important tasks during my prime time?
Do I concentrate on objectives instead of procedures, judging myself by accomplishment instead of by amount of activity?
Do I set priorities according to importance, not urgency?
Do I make constructive use of my commute time?
Do I delegate as much work as possible?
Do I delegate challenging jobs as well as routine ones?
Do I delegate authority along with responsibility?
Do I prevent subordinates from delegating upward those decisions and tasks that they find difficult or worrisome?
Do I effectively use the aid of subordinates to get better control of my time?
Have I taken steps to prevent unneeded information and publications from reaching my desk and intruding on my time?
When debating whether to file something, do I follow the principle “If in doubt, throw it out”?
In meetings, do I try to crystallize what the issues are and summarize the decisions made and responsibilities assigned?
Do I try to handle matters by phone or in person whenever I have a choice, using written communication only when it is clearly indicated?
Do I try to put work out of my mind when away from the office, except in clear emergencies?
Do I force myself to make minor decisions quickly?
AM I on guard against the recurring crisis, taking steps to make sure that it won’t occur again?
Do I always set deadlines for myself and others?
Do I force myself to take time to plan?
Have I discontinued any unprofitable routines or activities recently?
Do I keep things in my pocket or briefcase that I can work on whenever I get spare moments in lines, waiting rooms, trains, and planes?
Do I try to live in the present, thinking in terms of what needs to be done now instead of rehashing past errors or successes or worrying about the future?
Do I make periodic use of a time log to determine whether I am slipping back into unproductive routines?
Am I continually striving to establish habits that will make me more effective?
Do I keep in mind the dollar value of my time?
Do I apply the Pareto Principle whenever I am confronted with a number of different tasks that need to be done?
Am I really in control of my time? Are my actions determined primarily by me, not by circumstances or by other people’s priorities?