What is a Self Audit?

Want to create lasting change in your life? Consider starting with a personal self audit.

A personal self audit is an annual personal performance review. It’s an essential practice for high performers to help assess if they are reaching their goals and if they need to realign their perspective and choices for the next year and beyond. A personal self audit, similar to a performance review, is grounded in one’s current plans, practices and results. In contrast, new year’s resolutions tend to be unrealistic or extreme, not sufficiently planned and not supported by a larger purpose.

In order to conduct a personal self audit, I recommend you slow down and carve out some time and space to reflect. Start with taking your foot off the gas pedal. Yes, I mean rest. As I always say, ‘rest’ is an essential part of the performance cycle, but it’s the part that high performers commonly resist! High performers tend to push themselves hard and fast, sometimes forgetting to come up for air (or perspective).

Second, take the time to reflect. For a full self audit, I suggest that you think about the different areas of your life that you want to assess. For instance, three areas might be: career (work), social life and self care.

Now, look back at your goals for the year in each category. Did you accomplish what you set out to do? How far did you get? Be sure to acknowledge both your successes and your failures. Are those mistakes haunting you? Remember, all failures are feedback!* You may find that you succeeded in one area to the detriment of another. For instance you might have moved up the ranks at work and earned a nice promotion, but your self care or social life might have suffered.

Third, in each category, start to craft your new goals for the next year—keeping in mind that your priorities may have shifted. Perhaps you’ve realized that your self care needs more emphasis. If that is the case, think about achievable adjustments you can make in your routine to support that goal. Start small, with the aim of building over time. If you don’t go the gym at all right now, it’s unlikely that you will be transform into an athlete overnight.

The most important question to ask yourself: What is my intended ‘destination,’ and am I on the track to get there? Remember: align your daily decisions with your larger life goals or purpose. The choices you make today determine tomorrow’s opportunities.

*Thank you, Billie Jean King