Weekly Summary

Determine where you are so you can go where you want to go, do what you want to do and be who you want to be.

This tool will help you determine where you are now in terms of what's important in your life.

What's needed is a personal inventory—a checkup from the neck up—an honest analysis of where you are at this point in time. One of the reasons this is not done is that many people don't want to face the reality of their circumstances. They think it's worse than it is. And that might be so. But the way out of any place is an honest and accurate assessment of our present situation.

I was counseling someone recently on their finances and recommended that she do a balance sheet—a thorough list of everything owned and everything owed. She was visibly upset and didn't want to do it. It was too painful for her to face her debts. She was ashamed and even angry for owing what she thought was too much money. Leaving her finances nebulous and untallied was preferable to getting them down on paper.

There’s a saying in business: “What gets measured gets done.” You can’t manage what you don't measure. Conversely, what isn't measured doesn’t get attention. Out of sight is out of mind, but the emotions attached to the condition are always there.

There's a danger in doing an in-depth self evaluation, however. And the danger is in judging yourself for not being where you want to be. Try to take an objective viewpoint. Act like your own therapist—seeing what's to see without judgment—discerning the truth without invalidating yourself in the process.

You are where you are and that's all. It doesn't mean anything. It's just where you are. It matters not what the score is at half-time, it only matters when the clock runs down.

This Benchmark is not the be-all and end-all for getting a fix on your present position, but it will get you started and help you set goals and determine priorities for projects. Feel free to customize it for yourself. You can copy and paste the questions into your word processor. That way, you can add some of your own questions as well as expand certain sections. There are no right or wrong answers.

Take your inventory. Then do it again in a year to see how things compare. Remember, what gets measured gets done.