What’s your mid-term grade for growth?
I’ve written here on the blog about my practice at the end of every December, where I take stock of the previous 12 months and plan the next year. For me, it’s a wonderful time of reflection and strategy. I guard that time every year, and the practice has served me well.
However, December is not the ONLY time that I reflect and strategize. I believe that it’s important to take stock of our goals and priorities often. This is especially true in the area of personal growth. I evaluate my time monthly. During some busy seasons, we may even need to evaluate ourselves daily. Just to make sure we’re still on target.
Today, at almost the mid-point of 2015, it’s a natural time to evaluate your progress in personal growth so far. So here are some questions to ask yourself to see how well you’ve been growing this year:
1. When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Have you been trying new things in 2015? Or are you still doing what you’ve always done? Trying new things – and sometimes failing – is one of the best ways to grow.
2. What have you learned and applied in the past six months?
How intentional have you been about learning and putting new ideas and skills into practice? What have you read, listened to, or attended that gave you practical guidance toward reaching your goals? And how have you applied what you learned?
3. What have you been doing daily to facilitate your growth?
Successful people make right decisions early and manage those decisions daily. Once you’ve decided to grow, the progress is measured day by day. So what daily steps are you taking to get closer to your goals.
4. How are you passing on what you are learning?
This is the most important question for a leader. That’s because I believe we’re called to be “rivers,” not “reservoirs.” In other words, we’re at our best when we let what we learn flow through us so it can impact others. How have you done at strategically sharing your learning with those around you?
Learning and growth are not automatic. They only happen with intentionality. We need to plan to grow, and take specific steps of growth every day. Then we’re equipped to pass on our growth to others.
It’s the middle of 2015. So the good news is that if you didn’t give yourself a good mid-term grade, you’ve still got another six months to make progress toward your growth goals. Evaluate today. Once you know where you are, you’ll have a good idea of where to go next.
