Get into the right mindset. Be open to doing a self-assessment, which could be a useful problem-solving tool. You should approach it without shame or blame. You don’t have to be brutally honest with yourself.[1] Instead, be gentle and kind while still being honest.
- Think of yourself as a friend providing advice to yourself. This will keep you from being too rough on yourself.
Ask yourself thoughtful questions. This knowledge can help you realize what makes you happy or stressed. You can use this information to help you spend more time on activities and goals that are productive for you. Some questions you can ask include:
- What do you love doing?
- What are your dreams in life?
- What do you want your legacy to be?
- What is your biggest criticism of yourself?
- What are some mistakes you’ve made?
- How do others perceive you? How would you like them to perceive you?
- Who is your role model?
Preparing to Self-Assess
Be courageous. A good place to start is with issues you do feel comfortable approaching, then working your way up to the issues that make you feel uncomfortable. As you gain confidence in your ability to be honest with yourself, continue to challenge yourself by approaching topics you feel less comfortable addressing.[3]
- Be careful not to pick and choose what you assess based only on how comfortable you feel about the topic. If you avoid things that make you uncomfortable, you may be avoiding the most important issues of all.
Set some time aside for yourself. Get up earlier or later than your family, or find a quiet space where you can sit and think. Some people think better while doing some other simple task (such as laundry) or while walking. Find out what works for you.
List your areas for improvement. What do you dislike? What doesn’t work too well for you? Focusing on areas for improvement can put things into perspective. Once you have listed them, you can choose whether to try to improve upon these areas or let them go.
- Take another 10 minutes and complete the following sentence as many different ways as you can: Things don’t work well when ..
юрий степанченко 