Ask Yourself...

One of the simplest and most effective tools for improvement in virtually anything is attentive reflection. If you want to improve in almost any facet of your life, give yourself just ten minutes a day and do the following:Reflect on your actions over the past day.I've used that method for a variety of things over the last twenty years, and its the tool I keep coming back to. I've used it to become more intentional about practicing the fruits of the spirit, about practicing and developing leadership, preaching processes and skills, parenting, etc. I take a period of time, say thirty days or so, and simply take some part of my day and reflect on exactly what I've done and how in that particular area. Often I'll have a focus question, such as "How have I cultivated peace?", "What did I do to practice leadership?" or "Did I practice self-control with my voice in speaking to my children?".There is substantial evidence that daily self-measurement can be an effective strategy for long-term behavior changes, even in elusive behavioral areas like diet, or classroom behavior.Do you have something you want to grow in? Create some system for consciously reflecting on it for the next month. Create a sheet with a couple of lines to jot a note on each day, or formulate a question that captures the kind of behavior you want to become more intentional about.The specific system that you use isn't necessarily the most important part. That you have a system is important! Be intentional, and find some way of daily reflecting over the next few weeks. You'll be glad you did.