Unfortunately, in the process of changing ourselves, we often neglect our own personal growth and development as individuals. It’s important to focus on being a great and honorable person, in addition to achieving professional success, which is what most of us think more about.

It’s a common tendency to work hard and strive for pay raises and higher positions in order to receive recognition and praise from our superiors and others for our work.

This month’s quote (which I reread often) got me thinking about my life and how I want to be thought of and remembered. I wouldn’t ever want someone to say such things as: “Syndi sure is/was selfish, unkind, and thoughtless. She didn’t care about anyone, but herself.” I recognize no one would ever say such things openly at a funeral, yet I have heard disparaging remarks spoken when speaking about someone in a personal conversation, while the person was still alive.

Seriously, this is something we all should think about and be mindful of how we speak and treat others every day while we’re still alive. So, when we leave a room or leave this earth, we will have left behind the best memories possible.

Question:
How do you want to be thought of and remembered? Will it be favorable or not? How will people describe your least appealing trait? It’s never too late to consider these questions and improve yourself, and to me, the Spring of each year is a great time to take time to perform an annual assessment.

This month’s Task:
Mark your calendar for a day in the next weekor two at the most, when you will carve out at least 30-60 minutes to be in a quiet place. Your goal is to evaluate yourself (honestly). Write down in your journal, or on a computer document all the most favorable and unfavorable traits about yourself. Then, in a separate column, write an actionable plan to improve the unfavorable traits. Take them one at a time, perhaps one a month as an intentional way to be mindful of how we can continue to improve ourselves, every day of our lives.

• Commit yourself to making yourself into your “new cause” to reduce the unfavorable traits about yourself so you can display only the best aspects that everyone admires in you, with you reaping the greatest benefits and rewards, of a happier, more fulfilled life.
• Make it a habit to use “please” and “thank you” with every request you make. At the end of the day, evaluate yourself and count how many times you said “please” or “thank you.” You’ll be surprised to see how much better you feel.
• If you tend to raise your voice when agitated, pause mid-sentence to restate calmly.
• If you find yourself wanting to excessively control and manage the work of others, it’s important to have an open conversation with them. Let them know that you recognize this trait and would like to work on it. However, you’ll need their cooperation in order to build trust and complete tasks on time.
  
  Together, set reasonable due dates and agree to not remind or pressure each other until that date. Ask everyone involved to honor their commitment to completing the task.
  
  On a personal level, mark your calendar for the due date and leave things alone until then, as part of your journey towards self-improvement.

Conclusion:
Spring is a great time to reflect on your less favorable traits and work towards improving them. It’s never too late to start becoming the person you want to be. By doing so, your presence will be felt long after you leave the room and this earth… trust me on this.

Happy Practicing!