If your career is in slow motion, you can kick-start it by answering these 8 questions at the end of each day.

1 – Did I use my voice to encourage or to discourage?

Word gets around the office pretty fast. We can be known as a complainer and see our career dive, or we can become ambassadors of hope – offering encouragement and support to open up opportunities for others and ourselves.

2 – Did I risk failure or just not try?

The next time you face a challenge, take it on, even if you think you’ll fail. Chances are, you will. But after repeated attempts, you’ll succeed. Organizations today, more than ever, need people willing to risk failure to move themselves, and the organization, forward.

3 – Did I talk about what I will do, or did I just do?

Talk is cheap and everyone knows it. Your reputation is not built on what you say you’ll do. It’s built on what you do.

4 – How much time did I waste?

According to a recent survey by salary.com, 64 per cent of people visit non-work related web sites every day. Among this group of people, over 20 per cent admitted to wasting up to five hours per week. Yet many people claim to have too little time.

5 – What did I learn?

In 1885 German researcher Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted a series of experiments which found that people forget 40 per cent of what they learned in 20 minutes and an astounding 77 per cent in just six days. Today’s researchers tell us those numbers still hold. Keep a learning diary.

6 – Did I listen…really listen?

Effective listening takes place with our ears but also our eyes. How does the person look? What feeling are you getting as they talk? First acknowledge what people say before having your own say.

7 – Did I do something today, even if I wasn’t asked?

Initiative. It’s a key ingredient to career success. If we know something has to be done but don’t wait for someone else to do it, we’re seen as a doer. Doers get promoted.

8 – Did I help anyone today?

Lending a helping hand, even if that’s not your job, saves the company time and money. In some cases, it can prevent serious mistakes. Be known as a helper.

In our work life, there is no shortage of feedback from employers and co-workers. But auditing ourselves is often the most effective way to grow and expand career options.