The accountability workshop had just ended when a participant approached me.

"That workshop was exactly what we needed," he said. "It reinforced something I tell my direct reports. Your actions paint the canvas of your results." He continued, "I'm here to help show you the canvas you’re painting. It's your job to take responsibility for what's on it."

That idea stuck with me because it's visual. Think of it like studying film of yourself.

Football coaches love watching game film because it tells the truth. Golfers watch video of their swing because it shows reality instead of how it feels in the moment.

There's a simple question that takes that same idea and turns it on you.

"If a stranger studied your routines, what would they assume are your priorities?"

It's a simple question, but the answer becomes the game tape of your own life. Maybe you'd be thrilled with your focus, your actions, your priorities. So thrilled you'd hang that picture right next to the Mona Lisa. Or maybe you'd be embarrassed by how much time got handed to your phone, and you wouldn't want that painting hanging anywhere.

The point here isn't to crown you or chastise you. It's to wake you up to the canvas you're painting.

Your actions are always painting something. The only question is whether you'd want to hang it.