Now that we have gotten our day-to-day details in order, it's time to take a step back and remember to see the bigger picture. One of my clients often reminds me that although being "lean" or efficient is desirable and can be very useful - humans are not machines. Our goal is not to fill up every second with being productive - but rather be efficient in the time that we spend doing work so that we can make time for things we enjoy and that make us happy and unique. So this month we are going to expand our focus to the future, the different areas of health and where you would like to see it grow. One of my other clients actually proposed this topic reminding me that 70 years ago he probably would have been dead and suggested we should examine how we can all make the most of this second lease on life. Even if you are not nearing retirement age there is something to be said about understanding that we are all given this one rare opportunity to really live every day - so what are you going to do with it?
Now there were a lot of ways that we could approach this however we are going to do one of my favorite activities - arts and crafts! We are going to create a good old fashion vision board, however you want to make it, and include two key elements. The first element being the eight dimensions of well-being which includes:
Physical
Intellectual
Emotional
Spiritual
Social
Environmental
Financial
Occupational/Vocational
(The dimensions of wellness article attached gives awesome definitions for each of these categories and a great explanation of why it is important to give each attention - I would highly suggest giving it a quick read.)
The second element is a general timeline - I want you to consider where you would like to be in each of the eight dimensions in one year, five years and ten years from now. Take this month to dream big dreams and start putting together a plan to start working toward those goals. Keep in mind that some action items may even be as simple as being open to opportunities, and that working on some of these categories may also interact and influence others. Something else to consider is that although we should address all of these categories, they do not need to be addressed evenly. Some things are going to be more important or relevant to you and you should prioritize things that align consistently with your values.
Resources:
Life Expectancy US 1950-2102: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/life-expectancy
Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/
Eustress vs Distress: https://www.drake.edu/media/departmentsoffices/recreationservices/Distress%20vs%20eustress%20blog.pdf
The 8 Dimensions of Wellness - How to Achieve Optimal Health in Each One: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EI0mvrnbB9w38H62ks58i?si=a4cf8e3dcbcc4a74
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