I was listening to the remarkable Jack Canfield the other day on the Rise Up Challenge hosted by Pete Vargas and he said something so simple yet so powerful about his marriage. Before I tell you what he said, I want to make sure you don’t lose the impact his four words by only applying it to marriage. No, I believe this 4-word question has to be applied to every role we play in life. So, are you curious?

Canfield said he asks his wife every week, “How am I doing?” She then ranks him on a 1-10 scale and as a result he will make some adjusts so he can target that coveted 10 spot. He argued, “How do you know how you are doing if you don’t ask?” When his wife once ranked him as a 4 (ouch), she told him exactly why—and he said she was right; he was grateful for the information so he could proactively fix it.

This pandemic is tough and if we all think we are functioning at a 10 at work or at home, we may be sadly mistaken. Maybe it’s time we ask. If you are a leader, ask your team. If you are a parent, ask your children (no matter how old they are). If you’re in business, ask your clients. The only way to improve is to know that improvement is needed. Perfection is not necessarily the target right now, but better is. We can always be better. I know I am not going to get any 10’s this week, but I am going to be brave enough to ask. Are you with me?

With Gratitude,
Beth

PS How am I doing?