We started our Habitudies series with stock taking in the beginning of the year. 'Stock taking' is a process which we reflect on ourselves and glean from our encounters. It is also commonly known as 'lessons' learnt from self reflection. Leaders cannot perform well if they do not see the strength inside of them. Good leaders take a personal inventory of their God-given gifts. This impacts both their self-image and, consequently, their results.
Suppose you are the owner of a store on a street corner. Anyone who has worked in a retail store knows what the word “inventory” means. As an employee, when you take inventory it means you begin to list the products that are on the shelves. Most stores “take inventory” once or twice a year. Some do it every month! In fact, you can not really run a good business without knowing what you have got in your inventory.
Dr. Tim Elmore, who is the author of habitudes series, has a story when he was in high school. He had a friend named Rob, whose first job was to work as a stock clerk in a store. He remembers Rob got angry at being given such a small job as counting the products. Little did he know- that task would take him three months. Taking inventory is no small undertaking, and it pays great dividends. Similarly, taking stock of our life, strengths and weaknesses will help us to evaluate our opportunities when it presents itself. We learn by experiences and mistakes. But, unless we question ourselves about what our experiences mean and think actively about them, research has shown that we won’t make any changes. Self-reflection enables you to move from just experiencing, into understanding.
Case in point. There was a young basketball player who got cut from the varsity team during his tenth grade year his name is Michael Jordan. He took a hard look at his strengths and began to develop them. Many believe he is the best player ever. He had to take inventory. He had to see his skills and talents as the gold on the inside, despite what his coach thought.
You can not consistently perform in a manner that is inconsistent with the way you see yourself. You will usually perform at a level that reflects your perspective of yourself. If you think you are average, you will perform in an average way. Once in a while, you may have a really great day, and perform higher than normal. You will think: That was awesome. I really did out do myself! However, most people quickly retreat back to a lower level of living, because they do not think they deserve it. They do not see themselves that way. And they miss their potential.
Time flies and we are now marching into March. If you have not given much thought about your own 'stock taking', I encourage you to spend time to think about it this weekend.
Mr Bay
