Are You Still Evaluating?
I like the saying “There is room for improvement.” I know sometimes the statement is used as a softer or kinder version of “You did horribly. Do it again!” However, under normal conditions, it is used as a term for encouragement; for one to improve and for better performance. After all, one cannot remain in the same position for the rest of one’s life, hence the saying “there is room for improvement.” In Genesis 1, as the creation story is told, a recurrent phrase is, “And God saw that it was good…” I never paid much attention to this phrase until a couple of days ago when the words resonated in my heart, “And God saw that it was good.” I believe that the phrase was not limited to God’s personal admiration of his work but was a feedback to his evaluation of the work done. As I pondered on these words, I pictured God inspecting each day’s work to see whether there was need for amendments or improvements. Of course, his work was outstanding and the feedback returned was an excellent one. It was indeed a great job done.
Each time I ponder on Scripture, I try to apply it to my life and of course I learnt a lesson from Genesis 1. Yes, you guessed right. I learnt the need for evaluation. I believe the example in Genesis 1 about evaluation was put there because every person has the potential to be better. Evaluation is therefore the tool for feedback to cause progress. Evaluation is the process of getting a measure of something. Are you evaluating? Take a look at where you are today and compare it to last year. Is there a difference? Or perhaps an improvement? Have you progressed or advanced as a person? I am not talking about material progress though evaluation is needed in that concern, but I mean your personal development. If you cannot give an honest answer, do not worry. I do not believe in coincidences so the fact that you are reading this is not by chance.
We are in the second half of the year so it is not too late if you start today. What is that particular goal that you have had since the beginning of the year? Take that goal and break it into smaller tasks, and start working at it. If you had a goal to read five books this year and after evaluation you haven’t, start by reading one book. You can set a task to read at least one chapter a day. If the book has twenty chapters, you will be done in twenty days! Don’t give yourself the task of reading half of the book because it is most likely that you wouldn’t. Small achievable tasks is key. Or perhaps, if after evaluation, you discover that your goal to lose a certain amount of weight has not been achieved, then work at it. Don’t beat yourself about it. Start by taking it in small but consistent steps. If it is through exercise, give yourself a task of 15 minutes a day to exercise, and do it consistently. In all you do, be consistent. Refuse to quit. You have all it takes to do it. Someone once said, “I am not where I want to be, but I sure am not where I used to be.” Keep evaluating and tracking your progress. It helps and it works.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Kindly enter your email address to follow 8minuteword.com and receive notifications of new posts by email.