From time to time, many business take inventory. They look at the company valuables, such as equipment, raw materials, product that’s ready to be sold, and they record what they have. Is it what they expected? Are there important things missing? Are they over-stocked in some ways?
Many of us look at the dawning of a New Year as a time to consider a fresh perspective, make new starts (i.e. go to the gym) and assess how we want to progress. One activity that could be helpful at this point is to take stock; essentially take an inventory of the valuables in our lives.
In Choice Theory language, we could refer to this activity as self-evaluation.
We evaluate our situation ourselves, without looking to someone else to tell us whether it’s good or bad. This is information that we figure out for ourselves, for our own use.
But taking stock of life isn’t quite as straight-forward as going to the storeroom and counting boxes of raw materials. Many of the valuables in our lives are not tangible; they are not visible at all. Thus, it’s even more important to take stock from time to time, lest we lose sight of that which we cannot see.
What might we include in our stock-taking? If you have trouble getting started, here are some questions to ask yourself. Some people like to write down their answers (I recommend it) but different people find different things helpful. Do what works for you, but be honest with your answers. Here are some of my suggested questions.
Who are the people in your life with whom you have reasonably good relationships? I’m not looking for “perfect” relationships, just reasonable, friendly, satisfying relationships. People with whom you can talk comfortably. Those who are generally supportive of you, even if you don’t always agree. The people you would be happy to see on the street, or who would bring a smile if they came to your door.
What are the skills that you have that enable you to do useful tasks? These might be physical tasks or mental tasks. They may be skills that are useful for employment or just useful in life. What can you do that’s useful? Take stock.
What are the hobbies, interests, activities that bring joy to your life? This is a little different from the ‘useful task’ question. I’ve included it so you don’t skip over what you might think are not “useful” skills. Music, art, story-telling and more may bring joy to you and to others. These activities are assets too.
What do you have the ability and the wish to learn? Different people care about learning different things, but any interest in learning can be valuable. It’s an asset if you have it. And it can add to the fun in your life!
Where have you created good will? For some businesses, a good reputation is a prime asset. It’s worthwhile to a business to spend time, effort and money to cultivate loyal customers. Might that not also fit in our own inventory?
There are many other items you can include in your personal inventory. A more traditional look at assets, for example, would include your tangible assets, such as possessions and financial assets. Include whatever is useful to you. The goal is to get a clear picture for yourself.
Once you have a picture that is clear to you, then you might want to ask yourself this follow-up question, “How well does what I have match what I want?” Answering that question will be a story for another day.
What do you find when you take a look at your inventory?
