How I’m Learning to Measure What Matters Most

How I’m Learning to Measure What Matters Most

In this season of uncertainty, I keep coming back to a simple but heavy question.

What am I actually trying to accomplish right now?

At the core, it’s this.

I want to be there for my family.

I want to be present for Barbi.

I want to be steady for Bella Love.

But wanting that isn’t enough. Intention without awareness doesn’t create change.

If I want to become a better husband, a better dad, and a better version of myself, I have to define what “better” actually looks like. I can’t improve what I don’t notice, and I can’t notice what I haven’t taken time to reflect on.

That’s where inventory comes in.

When I pitched, I didn’t guess whether I was improving. I tracked first pitch strikes. I knew my percentages. I could see trends. Improvement became visible because it was measurable.

Home life deserves the same respect.

So I’ve started asking myself different questions.

What behaviors actually signal that I’m showing up well at home?

What does encouragement look like in action, not theory?

When is the environment more peaceful, more open, more connected?

What am I doing in those moments?

Sometimes it’s as simple as how I enter the house.

Am I greeting Barbi and Bella with presence, or am I carrying my own agenda through the door?

Am I listening, or am I waiting to speak?

Am I rested enough to respond well, or am I running on fumes?

These things matter. Sleep matters. Tone matters. Small habits matter.

What I’m learning is that becoming better starts with defining behaviors and then scoring them honestly. Not with shame. With clarity.

So I’m creating a simple scorecard.

For the next week, I’ll rate myself on specific behaviors on a 1 to 10 scale.

Presence.

Encouragement.

Patience.

Effort.

Not perfection. Just awareness.

By the end of the week, I’m not asking if I’m flawless. I’m asking if the trend is moving in the right direction. Am I better on day seven than I was on day one?

Once I see what’s working, I can build a system around it. Once I see what’s hurting the environment, I can remove it.

That’s how rhythms are formed. That’s how consistency is built. That’s how growth actually happens.

Becoming better doesn’t start with a big declaration.

It starts with taking inventory today so I can be better tomorrow than I was yesterday.