The simple inventory
“Continuing to take a personal inventory means that we form a habit of looking at
ourselves, our actions, our attitudes, and our relationships on a regular basis.”
Basic Text, p. 41
The daily inventory is a tool we can use to simplify our lives. The most complicated
part of taking a regular inventory is deciding how to start. Should we write it out?
What should we examine? In how much detail? And how do we know when we’ve
finished? In no time, we’ve turned a simple exercise into a major project. Here’s one
simple approach to the daily inventory. We set aside a few minutes at the close of
each day to sit quietly and check out our feelings. Is there a knot, big or small, in
our gut? Do we feel uncomfortable about the day we’ve just finished? What
happened? What was our part in the affair? Do we owe any amends? If we could do
it over again, what would we do differently?
We also want to monitor the positive aspects of our lives in our daily inventory. What
has given us satisfaction today? Were we productive? Responsible? Kind? Loving? Did
we give unselfishly of ourselves? Did we fully experience the love and beauty the day
offered us? What did we do today that we would want to do again?
Our daily inventory doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. It is a very simple
tool we can use to keep in daily touch with ourselves.
Just for today: I want to keep in touch with the way I feel in living this life I’ve been
given. At the end of this day, I will take a brief, simple inventory.