After the free time of the weekend, most Mondays are reality checks. But today, October 19, takes that “back to the real world” spirit and kicks it up several notches. Because today is national Evaluate Your Life Day.
No pressure there, right?
Evaluating your life doesn’t have to be an epic, exhaustive (and exhausting) endeavor. Today, as you make your list of things you want to accomplish, take a few moments to answer between one and all 27 of the following prompts.
You don’t have to overthink this—as a mindset coach who talks to people about all aspects of their lives all day long, I can tell you that we all know a lot more about these topics than we initially think we do. Sometimes all it takes is asking the question and then listening for the response.
So go ahead, jot down whatever comes up. The answers you hear will help you make any necessary course corrections. So that by the time New Year’s Day rolls around—which is the more widely known time to take stock—you’ll be more likely to be happy with your evaluations.
The good
1) List everything you’re thankful for
2) List everything you’ve done that you’re proud of
3) List the ways you take care of yourself
4) List the ways you take care of others—be they plant, animal, or human
5) List the causes you’ve contributed to—whether with money, time or some other way
6) List the contributions you make in your household
7) List the contributions you make in your community
8) List the contributions you make in the world at large
9) List the unexpected gifts you’ve received—whether that’s a tangible present or a lovely coincidence
The bad
1) What’s bugging you?
2) What do you think about when you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep?
3) If you had a realistic magic wand, what would you change?
4) If you had a wand that could make anything disappear, what would you vaporize?
5) What concerns you?
6) What are you afraid of?
7) What are you ashamed of?
8) What downright ticks you off?
9) What one relationship do you most need to heal—or end?
The way forward
1) What needs to change?
2) What can you do to bring about that change?
3) What one thing could you easily start doing that would add up to significant progress over time?
4) What can you forgive someone else for?
5) What can you forgive yourself for?
6) What word or short phrase inspires you to make better decisions?
7) What do you want to commit to doing more of in the year ahead?
8) What do you want to commit to doing less of in the year ahead?
9) What do you want to have changed by Evaluate Your Life Day, 2016?
Which question did you like the most? Which did you hate the most? What insights did you get? I’d love to hear about your experience with evaluating your life! Leave a comment below, or start a conversation with me on Twitter.
My mother passed away two months ago and I’m struggling with grief and depression and feel somewhat lost. I’m aware of the things I must do to improve my life but at times my motivation starts to wane and I become anxious and despondent. The next 24hrs I want to get motivated by going out and take exercise and concentrate on my health. The thing about taking stock in oneself is that it’s simple but it’s not easy, like all things worthwhile it takes work, but I know things will improve it never give up and keep improving myself, thank you
Frank, I’m so sorry for your loss. The thing about grief is that it takes as long as it takes. I hope you got out and got some fresh air and moved your body a bit; that sounds like a great plan. And if you didn’t, well, you still can! Sending prayers your way.
I just went through this exercise and it came out to 4 pages front and back on a legal pad. I’m extremely committed to creating a positive change in my finances this year. I’d love to come back with a glowing update by October 2022. Claiming it ❤️
Brielle, good for you for giving voice to the things that were just sitting there, waiting for the chance to be expressed! I’ll be so excited and interested to hear your glowing update come October. <3