What gets measured gets improved.
I’m reasonably obsessed with personality tests, measurements, data, information and using those tools to make better decisions. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to collect data and then do nothing with it [*”Some day I will,”* I assure myself] or to flat out collect the wrong data.
**I normally measure the success of my day by how many things I accomplished and how many things I left unfinished. **I never check off all the boxes on any given day because I’m constantly thinking of more things I need (or would like) to do. Instead of evaluating my day by the number of boxes checked and list items crossed off, I felt led to completely change my method of evaluation.
At the end of each day, I’ve started to ask myself these two questions.
Do I love God more today than I did yesterday?
Did I love people better today than I did yesterday?
As I’ve shared before, comparison robs us of joy, but self-reflection and personal evaluation leads to a life well-stewarded. If we don’t evaluate where we’re heading, we set off with no destination, and we’ll surely end up somewhere unintentional without course correction.
Now, at the end of my day, I simply ask the two most important questions [those that Jesus summed up as the key to the entire law in Mark 12:30-31].
Love God and love others.
Here are a few sub-questions for each to dig deeper into evaluation.
Do I love God more today than I did yesterday?
- Did I experience communion with God today?
- Did I spend time connecting with God through his Word and prayer?
- Did I honor him with my thoughts, words and actions?
- Did I flee temptation and quickly confess sin when I fell short?
Did I love people better today than I did yesterday?
- Did I go out of my way to help people?
- Was I patient with those I interacted with?
- Did my words and actions encourage or discourage others?
- Did I point people to Jesus?
- Did I think more often of others than I did of myself?
- Did I mostly serve or was I mostly served?
Two simple questions, but as I’ve already begun to experience, difficult answers. A much-needed reality check and course correction at the end of my day.
Here’s to measuring what truly matters.
[Not to mention, good questions to add to the end of my manifesto to set the tone for my day.]