I will openly admit that I’m judgmental. I’m highly critical of not only others but myself as well. It is evident because I am my own biggest critic because every day, I am analyzing my actions and seem to give myself an abundance of poor scores and negative reviews. I also mentally take notes of the actions of people who are around me. In order to become a better person, I must surround myself with companions who too seek to better themselves.

At a minimum of every 6 months, I mandate myself to reevaluate my goals, friends, and environment. I ask myself a series of questions that sometimes challenge the position I’m in but growth never comes from being complacent. It’s a mental sweeping of emotional clutter to prevent an emotional mess.

• Is what I’m doing, in my personal life and work life, part of the bigger goal that I have in mind for myself? How will I construct the bridge that allows me to close the space of where I am right now and where I wish to be?
• Are my friends ambitious as myself and do they individually inspire me?
• Am I currently located in a city that I want to be in – if not – when will I move and what are the necessary steps to take to get to where I want to be?
• What am I doing today that will be good for tomorrow?
• Have I remained honest to myself and is there integrity behind my actions?
• How’s my health and am I properly monitoring both my physical well-being and mental state?

Comparison is deadly. I make it a point to not compare myself to my friends and their careers and lifestyles because as the worn out and played out saying goes, everyone’s journey is different. Looking at the future gives me copious amounts of hope, motivation, and determination. I am ecstatic to learn from my failures and manifest the mass figments of my imagination into reality.