Daily Inventory

 My first clue that I might have taken wrong action is when I feel righteous about it. Is there any need to justify an action taken or a word spoken if it was, in fact, the right thing to do? Perhaps I only try to do so when I have overstepped or misjudged a situation. 

Taking a daily inventory is the practice of looking at my motivations as well as any consequences of my part of an interaction. Was it just? Was it necessary? Was it kind? What was the result? How might I stop myself from stepping into someone else’s situation or trying to fix a problem that wasn’t mine? What would I like to do differently, if given another opportunity? Where was I silent when I should have spoken up? How can I work in concert with my Higher Power to take care of my own stuff, and allow others the dignity to take care of their own? 

By asking myself these questions, I develop more capacity to catch myself before, as, or immediately after saying or doing something which does not support our mutual growth as humans. In that way, I can learn to recognize what is and what isn’t mine to do. 

There is always room for growth. I will always make mistakes, necessitating the need to ask myself these questions daily, followed by appropriate action as soon as possible. Do I need to make amends? Make them as quickly as possible. Do I need to own the resulting hurts that I caused? Do so immediately, and clean up any messes I caused.

I’ve learned that ignoring problems doesn’t erase them. Stuffing them results in inappropriate emotional outbursts. Sweeping them under the rug just makes for a lumpy floor. A daily inventory teaches me to look at myself with honesty, and to resolve the pains before they become full-blown infections.