The MONTHLY Motivator - December 2016

A look at yourself

With a new year upon us, it is a good time to sit back and take a clear, detailed look at yourself. To look at your life in terms of the big picture. To see where you’ve been, to evaluate what you’ve accomplished, to find the things that are meaningful to you, and to set a specific direction for the future. To look at what’s right with your life, to uncover areas for improvement.

Your life has an incredible richness, much of which you probably take for granted. By looking at the specific details of your own life, you’ll develop a deeper appreciation for your unique treasures, and discover powerful ways in which you can use this hidden wealth to bring you anything you desire. It is very much worth the effort to know the details of your own life. And at some level, you do know them. Yet most of us rarely ever take a look at the details in a methodical manner. Many of your best qualities, most valuable assets are deeply buried, and regularly “mining” those treasures can be a powerful, revealing exercise.

In order to recognize possibilities for yourself and for your life, it’s good to get a clear idea of the resources you have to work with. You have many assets of which you are not even aware. In fact, each and every one of us has an abundance that is almost beyond comprehension. When we identify and tap into that abundance we can use it to do whatever we want to do.

Most people would be surprised to discover the amount of hidden wealth that they already possess. Everything you already have, everything you already are, can help you to become what you want to be. This includes both material possessions as well as non-tangible assets. Let’s take a good look at your resources. Appreciation for what you already have is a major step on the road to achieving your goals.

Start with your tangible assets, the material things you have that make your life easier or could be used to create or provide value, entertainment or excitement. Money in the bank, investments, real estate, home, furnishings, books, music, computer equipment, tools, automobiles, things for entertaining, sports equipment, musical instruments, office equipment, clothes, home electronics, cameras, telephones. Now this is not intended to be a complete home inventory like you would make for insurance purposes. Rather, it is a way for you to objectively look at your material assets. We all have a lot of stuff laying around, and much of it we don’t even use on a regular basis. You have a lot of useful, valuable things available to you. They may not be the latest and the greatest, and you probably couldn’t get much for them in a garage sale, but they have value based on what you can do with them. With a little consideration, you may discover that, in material terms, you are “wealthier” than you thought you were.

However, those tangible assets are trivial compared to the hidden, intangible assets that you possess. No matter what you’ve managed to accumulate to date in material wealth, it cannot compare to the wealth that lies hidden within you. One of the most powerful things you can do is to become aware of this wealth, and start using it to your best advantage. Once you understand all the treasures that you already possess, unlimited possibilities open up for you.

Start by thinking about the skills that you possess. These include anything that you do well. Are you skilled at operating, programming, building or repairing computers? Can you write a good business letter or sales letter? Are you skilled at making presentations in front of groups? Are you good at talking on the telephone? Are you good at teaching or training or explaining a concept to someone? Are you a good negotiator — when you go to buy a car, or furniture, or an appliance, do you pride yourself on being able to get the best deal? Are you artistic? Think of all the skills that you utilize in every area of your life. What can you do competently? What can you do better than the average person? What special “people skills” do you possess? What information skills, mechanical skills, artistic skills do you have? Of course you have skills you use on your job. Consider all of them, but don’t stop there. Think of the skills you use in everyday life. Are you a good organizer or manager? Can you give great parties? Do you have a special knack for landscaping and keeping plants healthy? Do you play a musical instrument? Are you an above average driver? Think of all the things that you do well.

Next, consider all the special knowledge you have. You can start with your formal education and the knowledge that you have about your current job. There’s likely a large amount of specialized knowledge you’ve acquired on your current job, and on all the previous jobs you’ve ever had. Think back to the things you have done in your life — your jobs, your schooling, your relationships, your travels, organizations you’ve belonged to, events you’ve attended, volunteer work you’ve done. What have you learned from them? What special knowledge do you have that most other people probably don’t possess? Then think about the hobbies and interests that you have. What things do you know more about than the average person? Do you know a lot about a specific industry or manufacturing process? Do you have knowledge of national politics, or college football recruiting, or financial investments? Do you have a knowledge of history, economics, dancing, art, model railroads, Italian cooking, rock music, or any of a thousand other subjects?

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--Ralph Marston

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