"Regularly ask yourself, ‘How are my thoughts, words, and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbor, my child, my employer, my subordinates, my fellow citizens? Am I doing my part to contribute to the spiritual progress of all I come into contact with?’ Make it your business to draw out the best in others by being an exemplar yourself." –Epictetus
For one week, try asking yourself this question before you go to sleep at night: How are my thoughts, words, and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbors, my child, my employer, my subordinates, my fellow citizens? Notice what your response is, and let whatever’s true for you be okay. Don’t use this as occasion to brow-beat or guilt-trip yourself, because guilt will just paralyze you. With great compassion for yourself, just notice your answers to the question. Then notice how the answers change over the week. If you’re like me, you’ll notice that on some days, you’ve had a more positive effect, and on others, a less positive one. Notice without judgment. The more we accept ourselves exactly as we are, the more room we create for change. At the end of the week, decide if this is a practice you would like to continue.
— M. J. Ryan in Radical Generosity