Why You Should Upgrade Your Life by Doing Self-Evaluation Daily

Alexander J. Miller observed that many people meander through life without considering the big picture. He suggested that Socrates would urge us to examine our lives and ourselves, to recognize our ignorance and seek virtue, wisdom, and good. Striving for excellence and being our best selves far surpasses complacently wasting our lives.¹

I see two issues related to an examined life. The first is the importance of ongoing self-evaluation, and the second is choosing evaluation standards.

Concerning the first, Mr. Miller (and Socrates) are correct. An unexamined life doesn’t produce the best “you” possible.  A life that most benefits God and other people buds and blossoms through continual self-evaluation and self-correction. The goal is to be better people this year than we were last year.

Let me apply the principle to my writing. Until 2023, I didn’t use Grammarly to make grammatical and spelling corrections. Now I consider its suggestions before publishing. My writing is clearer, more concise, and grammatically more correct since I started using it.

Another example. Until near the end of 2024, I wrote blogs and posted them on my website without organizing them properly or paying much attention to SEO. As a result, most of my blog posts lived a lonely existence with hardly anyone visiting them!

My website visits far exceeded my post views. I changed my ways. I categorized my posts and included keywords in the titles. Seven months later, my post views were three times higher than my site visits.

I haven’t arrived. I took a break from writing this blog to review how to create effective blog titles and concluded that many of my past titles were as unattractive as used motor oil stains on a bride’s white wedding dress! My best titles had hundreds of clicks, and my worst ones have had almost none. I must retitle many of them. So, what is my conclusion?

To be the best we can be, we must continually evaluate our speech, attitudes, behavior, work, play, worship, values, and relationships. Nothing should be unalterably cast in concrete. The room for improvement is the biggest in the house! The best we can be today is no substitute for the best we can be next year.

The second issue is choosing our evaluation standards. We need discernment. Grammarly and my website host’s suggestions can help me be a better blog writer, but not a better person.    

The Apostle Paul described how his opponents tried to discredit him: “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” (2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT).

His detractors measured themselves using secular standards. Paul pronounced that approach as ignorant. We are no wiser if we measure ourselves with secular standards in spiritual realms. For example, if church attendance is the measuring stick of our Christian faith, we can pat ourselves on the back for doing what most of our neighbors don’t.

If the standard for being a better person is loving God more this year than last, measured by increased obedience and loving our neighbor as ourselves, based on increased service to others, it is a different story.

In the spiritual realm, Jesus’ speech, attitudes, behavior, work, play, values, and relationships are the measuring sticks. Following Him means imitating and becoming more like Him. As we follow Him, we become progressively more evangelistically winsome (Matthew 4:19). See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.  #discipleshipresources #evangelismresources #christianleadershipresources 

1.     What is the full quote by Socrates that is often misquoted as 'the unexamined life is not worth living'? - Quora

See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com

God has empowered me to write “His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength.” It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship eBook. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 5,190 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 14,074 people. I invite you to explore it.

https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness   

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