Categorizing Your Life. . .
Continued words of wisdom from Clean Team Member Meghan, as she continues to guide us through steps in the business of becoming whole.
Last time I left you with a challenge to explore and define your own list of life categories, in order to inquire into balance in your own life. The reason to do this is completeness. In this journey towards balance (which is constantly evolving), the next step might be to take an look at how each of the categories you’ve defined exists in your life right now.
Creating categories is an extremely helpful tool, as they help us understand how things are different. They also help us remember what we’re doing, whywe’re doing it, as well as where we’re going. It’s important though, to be aware that the way our brains work, sometimes makes it hard to see the interrelatedness between categories. This means that when we use categories to understand and remember, it’s good to step back and take frequent looks at the bigger picture of how everything connects and influences each other.
We’ve all heard that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” This adage speaks to the power that comes from the interconnectedness of all parts. The sum of the parts is just a piece of the whole. The relationships among the parts is an essential contribution to the whole puzzle. We want to practice wholeness to attain clarity, focus, inspired work, balanced health, and peace, not just within ourselves but within our larger world community. Imagine if we all focused our attention on finding this inner balance. . . wonder if we’d have half the issues in our world that we do? Hmmm.
So as we take a look at the individual parts of wholeness, I urge you to come back again and again to the big picture and the way everything is interconnected. The way all of the pieces work together is always changing, and it’s helpful to be aware of this so we can adjust our approach if we need to. Sometimes one part will be calling for more of your attention than another, and you’ll need to adjust, re-distribute your energy and resources to address it. Being in this constant state of flexibility and flux keeps our minds (and our bodies) loose and open. The balance is not static, it’s always changing and the more we can be okay with that, the healthier and happier we’ll be. Stepping back, looking at the balance and re-assessing/adjusting should be a constant process.
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to work with an amazing coach, Adam Cobb of Find Your Center NYC.* The first time I worked with Coach Adam, we used what he calls “the wheel of health” to talk about the many parts of the whole. His guidance through this process has been invaluable, helping me to consider each part, one at a time, and asking me to assess the role each part is currently playing in my life. He’s challenged me to imagine what this constantly changing balance and sense of being “whole” would ideally look like.
So I challenge you to do the same. . . to take a look at each one of the parts that create a sense of wholeness for you at this present moment, and then to take a look at how those parts are balanced (or not balanced!). Briefly consider each part, one at a time, using the guidelines below. I say briefly, because it is easy to get sucked in, over-analyzing and dwelling on the areas where you feel stuck. There will be time for more in-depth work later. For now the task is very simple:
- With your list of categories (parts that create that wholeness right now) in front of you, pick one category at a time to consider. Spend 3-5 minutes on each one. On a piece of paper, take a few notes as you go. Try not to judge or analyze anything that comes up. Just observe and take notes.
- Without trying to change anything right now, simply notice how each part shows up in your life currently. How much time do you spend on this part of your life (every day, every week, every month)? What do you do right now to fully embody this part of your life? Perhaps the answer is that you spend absolutely zero time on it, and that you do absolutely nothing. That’s OK. Just keep observing and taking notes. It may be helpful to spend a few days to a week simply observing and making these non-judgemental observations.
- After considering how each part currently shows up in your life, the next step is to imagine how it would exist in your ideal life. If you had a magic wand, what role would this part play? How much time would you spend on it? What would you do differently? What would it look like? Imagine the whole scene of your wholeness and what each category would like for you, exactly the way you want it.
Repeat these steps for each category (or part) of your whole. Be very honest but also very gentle with yourself. Remember that life is a process for all of us, and you can only take one step at a time. After you’ve done this exercise, step back and leave it alone. Don’t bring it back up over and over, especially if it’s something you feel lack or dissatisfaction with. If something keeps coming up and nagging you before my next post (a week from this Friday, when we’ll go a bit deeper) and you feel it’s important, write it down, put it aside and then let it go for now.
We’ll dive in deeper next time. For now, baby steps. Try and be present with this very important and reflective part of the process.
Much love and presence!
* Learn more about Coach Adam and his work at http://fycnyc.com/
Meghan Goyer is involved with customer support and project development as part of the Clean team. She’s from Athens, GA where she received an M.A. in religion from the University of Georgia, where she also studied religion and painting as an undergrad. Her studies focused on ritual and how it can be used intentionally as a tool for healing in today’s world. Meghan’s passion for healing is also reflected in her yoga practice and teaching, work with interfaith dialogue, community building, non-violent communication, work-life balance, emotional intelligence, creativity, spirituality, mindfulness, and nutrition. She believes that health is a multifaceted big picture and that love and fun are both important parts of good health, and she encourages them widely.
cleanteam The Author
Apr
20