Article - Professional Business Support - Annual Inventory

By S. O'Brien

Gurus, in both business and personal growth, strongly advocate developing clear and concise objectives. For personal development, they suggest your goals include short term, step objectives in addition to long term achievement targets. Most importantly, the goals must be written, otherwise they will not be given the focus, energy and effort to make them happen. These suggestions apply to your individual and to your professional business support goals and achievements.

Along with goals, there should be a periodic review of personal efforts and how well your performance matches your objectives. Are you climbing higher in your success?

In his book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill included a questionnaire to help people in their personal review. What better time than the beginning of the year to use his questionnaire to perform a personal inventory?

Listed below are the twenty-eight questions from Think and Grow Rich Chapter 7, Organized Planning: The Crystallization of Desire into Action - The Sixth Step toward Riches. (Emphases are Mr. Hill’s.)

Self-Analysis Questionnaire for Personal Inventory

1. Have I attained the goal which I established as my objective for this year? (You should work with a definite yearly objective to be attained as a part of your major life objectives.)

2. Have I delivered service of the best possible quality of which I was capable, or could I have improved any part of this service?

3. Have I delivered service in the greatest possible quantity of which I was capable?

4. Has the spirit of my conduct been harmonious and cooperative at all times?

5. Have I permitted the habit of procrastination to decrease my efficiency, and if so, to what extent?

6. Have I improved my personality, and if so, in what ways?

7. Have I been persistent in following my plans through to completion?

8. Have I reached decisions promptly and definitely on all occasions?

9. Have I permitted any one or more of the six basic fears to decrease my efficiency?

10. Have I been either “over-cautious,” or “under-cautious?”

11. Has my relationship with my associates in work been pleasant, or unpleasant? If it has been unpleasant, has the fault been partly or wholly mine?

12. Have I dissipated any of my energy through lack of concentration of effort?

13. Have I been open minded and tolerant in connection with all subjects?

14. In what way have I improved my ability to render service?

15. Have I been intemperate in any of my habits?

16. Have I expressed, either openly or secretly, any form of egotism?

17. Has my conduct toward my associates been such that it has induced them to respect me?

18. Have my opinions and decisions been based upon guesswork, or accuracy of analysis and thought?

19. Have I followed the habit of budgeting my time, my expenses and my income, and have I been conservative on those budgets?

20. How much time have I devoted to unprofitable effort which I might have used to better advantage?

21. How may I re-budget my time, and change my habits so I will be more efficient during the coming year?

22. Have I been guilty of any conduct which was not approved by my conscience?

23. In what ways have I rendered more service and better service than I was paid to render?

24. Have I been unfair to anyone, and if so, in what way?

25. If I had been the purchaser of my own services for the year, would I be satisfied with my purchase?

26. Am I in the right vocation, and if not, why not?

27. Has the purchaser of my services been satisfied with the service I have rendered, and if not, why not?

28. What is my present rating on the fundamental principles of success? (Make this rating fairly, and frankly, and have it checked by someone who is courageous enough to do it accurately.)

Mr. Hill worked on Think and Grow Rich for over twenty years, and though first published in 1937, many of the lessons are timeless. His legacy toward personal growth lives today through his books, the magazine he co-founded called SUCCESS, and the Napoleon Hill Foundation to name a few. You can find more information at www.naphill.org where you can also sign up for the Thought of the Day and their weekly ezine (both are free).

Here’s hoping your inventory shows you added to your personal growth and to your foundation for success! 

With goal setting and achievement in mind, Solutionability, LLC's experience and skills add value to the small business's efforts and help them achieve their objectives with professional business support. Contact us today: