Change is necessary for improvement and growth but it doesn’t happen overnight. It happens daily.
When it comes to change, the only person you have the opportunity to change on a daily basis is you. So when it comes to personal growth, there needs to be a daily appointment on your calendar that you have with you.
Have you ever gone for weeks, maybe even months, without seeing a friend of yours? When you finally get together, you spend the first hour of your conversation catching up, talking about all that’s taken place since you last met. The same is true with the relationship you have with yourself. If you’re not taking the time to reflect on how things are going on a regular basis, you’ll begin to lose sight of who you are…or worse…who you are becoming.
When you lose sight of who you are becoming, you’ll only engage in these internal “catching up” conversations with yourself when you come face-to-face with a crisis.
Instead of asking yourself what went wrong, isn’t it better to have a regular check-in where you are able to identify what’s going wrong?
A daily check-in is a habit of reflection and direction. Consider it a chance to get your bearings. This is a time for you – to connect – with you.
Some people use the time to pray.
Some people use the time to center themselves.
Some people use the time to write in a journal.
Some people use the time to be silent and still.
Use the daily check-in to accomplish two things:
1. Know where you’re at.
2. Know where you’re headed.
You created to-do lists, timelines, and deadlines to guide you in the accomplishment of your vision and goals. The daily check-in observes where you are in the process. Do you feel like you’re ahead or behind of where you want to be? Are you working on the most important matters or only the most urgent?
Next, you need to make sure you’re headed in the right direction. How’s your character? Are you keeping your promises? Are you motivated by the right things? Are you doing your best, working with excellence as your goal, and remaining positive?
The meeting you have with yourself each day will impact the meeting you have with others.
Leaders who lose their way are not necessarily bad people; rather, they lose their moral bearings, often yielding to seductions in their paths. Very few people go into leadership roles to cheat or do evil, yet we all have the capacity for actions we deeply regret unless we stay grounded. The daily check-in is an investment in staying grounded.
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Interested in discovering simple and practical ways to grow yourself as a leader? Download my latest book, Leadership Starts With You. This book will assist you in developing your own self-leadership skills. It’s available for both the Kindle and the Nook. Visit leadershipstartswithyou.com to take the next step in leading yourself well.
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