Taking personal inventory means getting clear on what you’d miss from your life and what you wouldn’t – and then taking decisive action towards creating the life you want to have.
NOTE: This blog post was written in the early weeks of the pandemic, although the principles here can be applied to a person’s life at any time at all.
During my first few weeks of quarantine, an unexpected voice kept presenting itself again and again in my mind:
I don’t know if I want to return to the world.
And while I told myself that this was probably just my innate introverted side talking, the solitude-loving part of me that was cherishing all this newfound time and space to reflect, deep down I knew it was something more.
So one night while I was eating dinner, literally in the middle of chewing my makeshift meal of canned green beans with jarred tomato sauce on top, I put down my fork and went to get a pencil and piece of paper.
I drew a long vertical line straight down the middle of the page and then wrote at the top of the left column, “Things I Miss,” and at the top of the right, “Things I Don’t.”
And then? I let my mind run wild.
About 15 minutes later, I took a step back and surveyed what I had written down. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had taken total personal inventory of my life.
I was pleased to see that there were a lot more items in the left column than in the right. But items in that right column there still were.
Looking at those utterly unmissable activities, I began to ask my questions like: Why do I do these things? Do I have to do these things? What would happen if I stopped doing these things?
Amazingly, after some good old fashioned introspection, I found than in virtually every instance, I was doing those things either out of fear, worry, or an obligation that didn’t really exist. And more importantly, nothing was stopping me from no longer doing those things – other than myself.
The next day I made a vow to myself that when the world does start back up again, I’m running back into the arms of the things I love. And I’m also letting go of the things that no longer serve me and that aren’t taking me any closer to where I want to be.
And that voice I was telling you about before?
That voice hasn’t been back since.
So, my challenge to you: get clear on what you miss in your life, and get equally as clear on what you don’t. When the time comes, go running back to all that serves you, and don’t be afraid to let go of what doesn’t.
PS: If you enjoyed this post, check out these other posts from Janelle (that’s me!) at Ellanyze on prioritizing what you want most of all:
How to Find Happiness Again: I Bet You Haven’t Tried This
Mindful Self Compassion: Give Yourself Permission to Feel _________.
