Let us do our own personal SONA

Attack the evil that is within yourself rather than attacking the evil that is in others. — Confucius

He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise. — Lao-Tzu, Tao te Ching

Can we as individuals do our own annual self-assessments of the state of our personal finances and general well-being, better than the way most politicians and some publicly listed firms do it? Only with honest and critical self-appraisals can we truly progress and make positive changes.

I recommend that we not only review the state of our finances but also include our physical health, family life, spiritual life, and intellectual life in terms of books read or things studied.

Apologies to politicos here and abroad, but I’m usually unimpressed by and critical of their usually jazzed-up annual reports to us, the citizenry, in their State of the Nation speeches, where we expect more candor than propaganda.

How about utilizing our ever more sophisticated gadgets and the Internet to record and eventually analyze how we spend every year in terms of how many cups of coffee or tea or beer we drink, the calories or kinds of foods, details of our travels away from home, how much time we spend watching television, etc.? Wouldn’t it be a great idea to do this by recording all these minute data and transferring them into an Excel spreadsheet monthly?

Graphic designer and Daytum.com co-founder Nicholas Felton started a fad in the West with his so-called “personal annual report” in 2005. By 2010, The New York Times had noticed his unique project. By 2011, Facebook was also impressed and even hired Felton to help redesign its new Timeline feature.

We’re now midway through 2014. I think it’s a good time to start this personal annual report. Here are the aspects that I would want to sit down and really do a thorough, critical and objective self-appraisal of (not in any order):

1. Personal finances — Did we become richer in the past year or poorer, by how much, and what can we improve? I believe this annual review of personal finances isn’t just for business executives but for everyone in order for us to reassess our present state of finances vis-à-vis our needs and plan for our future goals. This crucial subject of personal finance is important to monitor and analyze on a monthly basis, rather than just an annual review.

2. Professional or business well-being — How are we doing in our chosen vocations, professions or business endeavors? Are we going up the professional or corporate ladder in terms of promotions and better pay or what should we do and adjust in order to improve ourselves further? What about our business or organization, how has its growth been in the past year, what were the challenges in that period as well as opportunities for the future?

3.Physical health — Ever since my late 20s, when I tended to overwork in real estate sales and my small business ventures, when I was sleeping less hours than the ideal time usually recommended, I’ve gone out of my way to go through yearly medical exams and blood tests. Now that I’m in my 40s, a doctor friend recommended that I should do it twice a year instead of just once. Wow! By the way, a fringe benefit of my having bought large sums of life insurance policies years ago was the free annual medical check-up and blood test given during my birthday.  Remember: good health is true wealth!

4. Intellectual well-being — How many books have I read in the past year, outside the many magazines, newspapers and Internet articles I’ve read? This is one aspect of life I shouldn’t forget or neglect in our frenetic life of so much work. I vow to increase the number of books I read, not only for leisure, but also for self-improvement — both of which are not mutually exclusive! One fringe benefit of my avocation of teaching college students is I force myself to do extensive research academically.

5. Cultural or artistic pursuits — How many museums, art galleries, concerts or other artistic places or events have I been to in the past year? Man should not live by bread or rice alone; I believe we should feed our cultural soul as well to uplift, ennoble and inspire ourselves!

6. Family life — How are we in terms of spending time with our immediate and extended family? This aspect is my weakness, and a good reminder to change and improve. A good and harmonious family life is essential to overall personal well-being and good health.

7. Social or community life — What have we done for our communities and society in the past year? Have we participated in any meaningful social or community activities? I believe that we need to be part of or at least contribute a bit to our society, because there are so many positive things that only group efforts can accomplish or uphold. I read about the importance of being active in a community in an essay by my Twitter friend, the outstanding rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. I think a good example is what American Jews have contributed, not just to America, but also to Jewish community life and civic endeavours.

8. Spiritual life — What have we done in the past year to improve our spiritual life in terms of humbly becoming closer to our Creator and His will? What is the use of professional success or business conquests if we have totally neglected our spiritual growth? Many of us — including myself — often forget the importance of praying daily when we do not encounter problems or have needs. Let us be reminded of the Bible verse in Mark, chapter 8, verse 36: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

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