WHAT GRADE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR LIFE?
Self-awareness requires a wider scorecard.
I’ve been reading Martin Short’s autobiography, and one habit of his really stuck with me. Every Monday morning, he grades himself across nine areas of his life: Self, Immediate Family, Original Family, Friends, Money, Career, Creativity, Discipline and Lifestyle.
Not just career. That’s what caught my attention.
As leaders, we’re surrounded by scorecards. Revenue. Deadlines. KPIs. Performance reviews. Quarterly targets. We get very good at measuring how work is going—and sometimes allow that one category to determine how we think everything is going.
Short’s approach offers a useful counterbalance. Maybe work gets a C this week. A project stalled. You made the wrong call. You’re frustrated.
But perhaps family gets an A. Your health is improving. You made time for a friend. You did something creative. You actually had some fun.
Or maybe career gets an A+ while health, relationships, and lifestyle are quietly slipping toward Ds. That’s worth noticing too.
The goal isn’t to get straight A’s every week. Life doesn’t work that way. The value is in paying attention.
Good self-awareness isn’t about judging yourself. It’s about having enough perspective to recognize where you’re thriving, where you’re depleted, and where a little more attention might make a meaningful difference.
So here’s a Monday-morning challenge:
Give yourself an honest grade in all nine categories. Then ask yourself one question: Which grade do I want to improve this week?
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