The State of the You Address

Each year the President of the United States reports to Congress—and the American people—on how the nation is doing. The President starts by doing some level-setting, reporting on our financial condition and risks and threats to the Union (lately, one in the same). Then he makes his case for his goals, his initatives, and his big ideas.

What if you had to do the same? What if you had to walk into a room of people and make the State of the You Address?

Level-Setting

You might think this is a fun intellectual exercise. Maybe it is. But you are accountable to you, and it’s likely you have a lot of other people counting on you, too. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to get caught up. From time to time, you have to stop and take a look out how you’re doing.

If you had to report in, how would your financial condition look? Are you where you want to be? Has your financial condition improved? Or has it worsened?

How about your personal relationships? Are you investing in those relationships, ensuring that get stronger and more meaningful over time? Or have you let the most important relationships in your life fall through the cracks lately?

What about your health and fitness? How about your spiritual well-being? Are you gettting stronger and more fit? Is your energy improving? Or is your body just something you use to transport your brain between your home and your office?

Are things tracking the right direction? Or are their storm clouds threatening your horizons?

What the Future Holds

One of the problems I have with our political class here in the States is that they’ve stolen our mojo. They’re not optimisitc enough. Partisan bickering and doomsaying doesn’t provide an optimistic vision. Everything isn’t a burning platform. And it isn’t for you either. The state of our union has less to do with you, your results, and your life than you might believe. The State of You is far more important.

You have the power to set your own goals, start your own initiatives, and chase your own big ideas.

Where are you going now? What are your goals?

What are the initiatives you want to pursue? Unlike the President, you don’t need an Act of Congresss to get what you want. You just need to act.

What are your big ideas, the dreams you’re pursuing? What will your life look like when you get there?

You can choose to make this an intellectual exercise if you want to. Or you can answer these questions (and all of the others that come to mind as you do) and start making changes you promised yourself you’d make a few weeks ago.