The Daily Examen

I was listing to my usual morning run podcast, and a single nugget kept nudging me to write that down way after I finished that run and episode.

It was from the wonderful On Being podcast with Krista Tippet, and this episode was a conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz founder and CEO of the Acumen Foundation. You can listen to this episode here.

Back to that nugget, it was a nicely suggested “plug-in” to experiment with these days into my Black Book journal. I’ll leave you with the conversation and for you to judge why this nugget was worth sharing and exploring.

Tippett, Host: you describe in the book how you have modified the Jesuit Examen, which is supposed to be five steps. And I’ve tried this, so I found this useful because I never was able to stick with the five steps.

Novogratz: I try to do it every day. I don’t do it every single day. But when I do do it, my day is different; and that is,

1. to start with intention. What do you want to accomplish in the day? Who do you want to be?
2. And then check-in with yourself later and ask yourself how you did. Do an account.
3. And what did you learn from it?
4. And then, importantly, forgive yourself for what you didn’t do or what you did poorly.
5. And then the most important part of all is to express gratitude.

And when I do those acts, whether you call it three or four, I feel like I’m moving, and I’m also, at the same time, grounded. #