Gauging Yourself to Ensure Success

Posted: August 3, 2011, 4:22 pm

We all have many gauges in our cars that assist us with their daily upkeep. Some of these gauges are gas, oil, windshield washer fluid and temperature control. Just like our vehicles, we humans have gauges that require maintenance.

Each and every day, we need to check various aspects of our personalities such as attitude, energy levels, work ethic, leisure time and social conscious. Take a moment to reflect. How often do you actually think about all the things that propel your daily life? If you answered ‘not at all’ or ‘not very often’ then you, like many others, need to take a step back and evaluate your personal gauges on a more frequent basis.

Among our strongest gauges is our brain. If used wisely, the human brain can help you like the hundreds of gauges inside a cockpit help a pilot before, during, and after every flight. Every morning, we should have a check list of things that are truly a high priority and focus on these particular gauges throughout the entire day.

For example, think about your personal gauges for health, family dynamics, faith, work and hobbies. Where are your gauges? Are they filled to the point of overflow, completely empty or somewhere right in the middle? Whatever the answer, you need to know it, evaluate it and reflect upon it each and every day. By doing this, you are enhancing you ability to regulate your gauges, make improvements and experience success. If you don’t, then you will be flying blind because you are just like an airline pilot who did not check all of the plane’s gauges before taking off.

Here are some thoughts that directly relate to my book “The Thinking Room”, a 2011 best seller:

• Read at least a chapter of a book that motivates you every morning
• Have a CD in the car and listen to a subject on the way to work that gets your day going in the right direction
• How about your peer group gauge? Where does this rank on your list of priorities and how can you enhance it?
• Checking in with yourself on a daily basis is a necessary part of your day and you shouldn’t ‘take off’ without a proper evaluation