How to Assess Yourself in the 5 Key Areas of Growth

Leaders give unprecedented airtime to the idea of personal growth-;development and the willingness to change or become is virtually an entrepreneurial prerequisite. But if you’re going to demand growth of yourself, then you need a reliable yet easy way to self-assess how you’re actually doing through all five of the key growth domains (education, spiritual, physical, emotional, social).

Use the following question sets to consider your progress. Remember, you’re not comparing yourself to anyone else here, so be totally honest. Score yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each question, with 10 being the best. It’s a great idea to reassess roughly every 3 to 6 months or so, and since we can have blind spots about ourselves, have others you trust assess you, too.

Education

• Do I seek out advice regularly from others?
• Am I improving my daily reading time, speed or level?
• Am I exploring a wide variety of topics or experiences outside my niche areas?
• Do I ask questions regularly of others?
• Have I taken classes or training within the last 1-3 months?
• Am I able to teach others in new areas with confidence, and do I actually do so?
• Have I traveled in the last 3-6 months to expose myself to something new?
• Do I have a routine for studying or preparing information that I follow?
• Are my scores or reviews on tests or presentations improving?
• Do I feel relatively comfortable during tests or presentations?
• Am I able to step back and objectively review my scores, results or decisions for biases?
• Can I find information when I need it (without the Internet)?
• Do I practice every day to remember information and retain my skills?
• Am I able to come out of learning with more good questions or a greater appreciation?

Spiritual

• Do I regularly take time for self-care, meditation, prayer and/or mindfulness?
• Can I define my guiding values and defend them to others?
• Do I intentionally take opportunities to share my beliefs with others?
• Do I use my guiding values to make daily decisions?
• Can others get an accurate sense of who I am, what I believe or what I need through what I do?
• Am I willing to submit, suffer, sacrifice or serve to improve myself, others or the world?
• Do I try to understand individuals who have different beliefs than me?
• Do I accept my imperfections and offer myself grace?
• Do I see difficulties or challenges as opportunities?
• Do I have goals?
• Do I have a clear sense of purpose in my life?
• Do  I use tools that can help me reflect and feel spiritually full (e.g., gratitude journal, religious texts).

Physical

• Am I meeting the standard recommendation for daily exercise?
• Do I engage in a variety of different exercises or routines appropriate for me?
• Am I improving the endurance or strength I have?
• Do I spend time outdoors?
• Do I eat the recommended allowance of fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts/seeds and meats (or use recommended healthy equivalents)?
• Do I feel like I have good energy through the day?
• Do I go to bed consistently?
• Do I get the recommended number of hours of sleep each night?
• Do I talk to my doctor regularly to address physical concerns?
• Do I address discomfort right away to protect myself instead of ignoring or pushing through it (i.e., do I listen to my body)?
• Are my numbers good and/or consistent (e.g., cholesterol, weight, blood pressure measurements)?
• Am I in a safe environment at home and at work?
• Do I advocate for my physical needs?
• Do I take regular breaks?
• Do I strive to stay active through the day (e.g., going to chat face to face instead of sending a message through a chat client, walking meetings)?

Emotional

• Are my moods relatively consistent?
• Am I able to cope flexibly when I experience a challenging situation?
• Do I seek support from others?
• Do I express my thoughts, needs and ideas in appropriate ways?
• Do I recognize that others might be willing and able to help me?
• Do I draw clear, protective boundaries?
• Do I have a good sense of personal control?
• Do I have a good support network?
• Am I able to frame experiences in positive ways?
• Do I have and use specific coping strategies to handle stress?
• Do I sleep well at night without being kept up with worry or anxiety?
• Can I recognize and respond to the emotional needs of others?
• Do I let go of what’s bad for me and move away from what’s toxic?
• Do I take action rather than simply complain?
• Can I celebrate others and myself?
• Do I respond to criticism well?

Social

• Am I reaching out to current friends regularly?
• Do I actively seek out new relationships?
• Do I have relationships in many communities (e.g., race, location)?
• Do I feel comfortable working with new people?
• Do I participate in social events?
• Do I accept invitations from others?
• Do I think of others as well as myself?
• Can I engage in civil debate?
• Can I argue the opposing perspective to show I really understand?
• Can I reasonably prevent or deescalate conflicts and maintain emotional control while doing so?
• Do I help others without being prompted to do so?
• Do I trust and feel connected to the people that I know?
• Do I show who I truly am without excessive fear of rejection or judgment?
• Can I identify my biases, and do I strive to control them?

Originally posted here by WANDA THIBODEAUX, COPYWRITER, TAKINGDICTATION.COM @WANDATHIBODEAUX

About the author: TheFounder

As you can see I am the founder of Avantribe. I created this for others to help themselves grow and care for themselves on this journey we call life. I'm passionate about personal development mentally, physically, and emotionally. We typically have a hard enough time juggling one of those things. Luckily, we are in the information age and are so fortunate to have this kind of knowledge at our fingertips. 💜