Critical Reflection
Adapted from an article by Alan Morinis jewishmag.com/58mag/ chesbon/chesbon.htm
In the year 1812, a Rabbi named Menachem Mendel Leffin published a book on effective spiritual accounting. His book, called Cheshbon HaNefesh ( Translation: Accounting of The Soul ) , is a practical, step-by-step method of introspection and self-understanding that sounds much more like a modern day self-help manual than a rabbinic treatise. Based on the premise that all anyone needs to work on self improvement is a little focus and reminding, he offers a simple way to stay the course.
Leaders too, can benefit from a regular process of self-introspection and self-improvement. Prone to over-confidence and over-estimation, leaders stand to gain the most from an honest spiritual self-reckoning to keep themselves in check.
THE METHOD IS AS FOLLOWS:
First, compose a list of thirteen qualities that you undertake to observe in yourself. The traits that belong on your list are those aspects of your inner life that tend to trip you up, in one way or another. Can you identify your own strengths and weaknesses? “Weaknesses” might mean that you feel you’ve got too much of a trait, like anger for example, or it could be too little, like calmness. Too little anger (expressed as passion and vitality) is also a possibility.
Any quality that could benefit from some measure of change belongs on your list. Some traits will leap onto your list because they are all too well known to you, while others will need to be discovered.
Next, find a simple phrase that captures the ideal of each of the listed qualities. Look in a dictionary, in the Bible, or any other wisdom source, or compose something yourself, so long as what you end up with accurately captures the essence of that particular quality. Here are some of the phrases that Rabbi Leffin wrote in his book:
For equanimity he writes: “Rise above events that are inconsequential—both bad and good—for they are not worth disturbing my peace of mind.”
About decisiveness he says: “All of your acts should be preceded by deliberation; when you have reached a decision, act without delay.”
And for righteousness he goes to “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.”
You can write each quality and phrase on its own page in a notebook or you can make index cards with a quality and phrase on each. Each week will focus on one different quality from one of your cards. Keep that card or page open and forget about the rest of them for now.
Every morning, soon after you have awakened, read the reminder statement for the trait of the week. It might be helpful to keep your cards right beside your bed, or in another place where you are sure to see them every morning.
Read over the phrase of the week slowly and with full concentration. Read it aloud. Read it several times. Chant it. Go over this reminder in whatever way causes it to be so clearly illuminated in your mind that it seems to have been written in neon. Once you’ve really caught the phrase in so penetrating a way, go on with your day.
During the day, try to live up to the ideal stated on your reminder card, but not with strain or by repressing tendencies. Just do your best.
Then at bedtime, do the second part of the practice. Keep a small notebook beside your bed, along with a pen, and just before you go to bed, reflect back over your day to see what you can identify that in any way reveals the presence of the single quality you are working on that week. Record all thoughts and experiences that relate to that particular quality.
Your notes should be brief, just an outline of the facts that reveal something of your characteristics. Focus especially on the role you played in events. Most important is the honesty you bring to your introspection. A quality may leap right out at you—you lost your temper, or you got coerced into saying yes when you should have said no. Or you may have to think and probe a bit to uncover the imprint of your soul as it shaped your day.
It is crucially important that you not beat up on yourself for your slip-ups, nor to heap praises on yourself for your victories. What you’re after is just a factual and accurate picture of the play of your inner life as it shapes your thoughts, words and deeds in action. Keep an eye out for patterns of behavior.
Once you have completed seven days focused on the first quality, put the card at the bottom of the pile and move on to the next. After thirteen weeks, you will return right back to the first quality on your list.
In the course of a year, you will go through that full set of thirteen qualities exactly four times, since four times thirteen equals fifty-two, the number of weeks in a year. You will have spent a total of four weeks in the year reflecting on and learning about how each of your thirteen selected qualities plays its role in shaping your life.
Like an accountant reviewing a company’s books, the “accounting of the soul” practice gives you all the tools you need to “audit” your inner life. The conscious mind gains access to features of the unconscious, and becomes aware of the soul-traits that mold our everyday existence, including thoughts, feelings and actions.
“The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
—ANNE FRANK