I learned about the personal inventory reading Carlos Castaneda’s book series about Don Juan and the Toltec ‘men and women of knowledge’.
The idea of a personal inventory describes the process of examining one’s total life from every possible angle. By looking inward and examining one’s life, we can summarize all the things that we have done, what has happened to us, our system of beliefs, and what comprises our ‘self’. This is a metaphysical list of our interests, quirks, tastes, ideas, opinions, coupled with our history and experiences.
In essence, the personal inventory is all of the things that make you, you. It is the comprehensive descriptive list of you.
Think about how complex that is; and seemingly infinite. But the personal inventory is not infinite. It is very much finite. And it is very much different for every person.
A personal inventory is as unique as you are, and it describes your uniqueness.
And the process of figuring out who you are is fundamental to progress.
At the very least this process will help you figure out your Values (Episode 46) which are the backbone to personal growth.
And the personal inventory is not just a one time deal. This can be a dynamic process we use throughout our lives to check-in and remember where (and who) we are.
Sure, the first time through can be exhausting and take a while. But after that it’s fairly easy to remind yourself of the fundamentals, add new things, and check in.
More than anything, going through the motions of examining your life, really spending some time on it, and looking at who you are is only going to help.
Here’s a link to the original post with links to the podcast audio and video: https://chrisburcher.com/2021/06/25/kew-episode-51-personal-inventory/
Also, here’s a link to ‘A Separate Reality’, the second book in the Castaneda series: https://www.amazon.com/Separate-Reality-Carlos-Castaneda/dp/0671732498/ref=asc_df_0671732498/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312132072158&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7309053154433145723&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008763&hvtargid=pla-434023511446&psc=1