Self Evaluation

In response to a recent blog I read, about the self evaluation, I would like to say that self evaluation is certainly good for self  improvement. In fact, we come to know about  many things about ourselves which even we are not even aware of and we get hoked to know as what we have been doing so far. Through the process of this evaluation, we come to know about our shortcomings/ drawbacks and work out the strategies to make corrections ( the concept of coulda , shoulda , woulda ) to overcome those shortcomings .

It is not easy to find faults in oneself. Why? Because everybody is right in his own ways. No one likes to agree that a particular behavior of his is wrong. Why? He has a reason for it. If he had known that his particular behavior was wrong, why he would have done it? It means that in those particular, circumstances, his behavior was right according to his own thinking and judgment (or say intelligence or wisdom). So it becomes difficult to find the fault with the self?

Everybody has a different level of thinking, understanding, and intelligence. And everybody does his all actions according to them only. So if somebody's thinking or understanding is different then his actions will also be different, but still there are some normal behaviors which people expect from others at a certain occasion. If any behavior is different from it, then it looks odd, and therefore it should be corrected through education and training. Various societies have their different values and those values must be taught from the childhood and should be modified at time to time according to changing environments of the individual.

Although it is not easy to perform self evaluation, but still one can try on the following line ---

How to Perform Self Evaluation
(1) First of all we should make a list of faults and shortcomings of other people, not ours, mind it, (presumably because we ourselves do not have any fault, the faults are only with others, that is why we have to make the list of faults of others, not ours). Then analyze them one by one and find out --Is there anything which I have common with others?"


(2) Am I not following the same kind of actions for which I do not like others. Instead the word hate here I have used the word "like" as "hate" is a hard concept, although we use it very often.

(3)  Do we behave the same way as we expect from the others?

(4) Preaching is easy, following is difficult. Many times people find excuse of their different circumstances from others to behave in a certain manner. It might be possible, but not always. So one must think over that whatever we preach others, have we been follow the same?

(5) Do we do something different or special for the people, for which people may admire us? Faith and Trust (main requirement of building social capital) are the important qualities of a person. If one could keep oneself faithful to even a few, then certainly he has made a place among those people. And if he has made a place among them, he has won their hearts. That is what you are looking for - to win the hearts - quite difficult thing.

Once you completed the list, you are likely to find that most people behave the same way, including yourself. To identify yourself differently and separately you have to change yourself. Although the change is constant but changing is difficult. If somebody can change a little bit bit, it would be a great achievement. Deviation from our good values according to some specific circumstances is painful.

Now you may perform your self evaluation, and find out the result? Could you do it objectively? This may provide you an opportunity at least to change you behavior at least not to criticize others. You may realize that you have achieved certain quality of not complaining about others, rather respecting others even with their faults - this is known as adjustment, and we need it everywhere, at home, at workplace and among the friends today.

Sushma Gupta
www.sushmajee.com