Is there a change you can make in self-care or what I like to refer to as the Self Sphere that you really believe will increase your well-being, performance, and/or fulfillment? This might be a significant shift, like getting an extra hour of sleep, or more trivial, like meditating before breakfast rather than after. It’s time to identify one change you’re willing to make over the next month, whether it’s doing something you already do more regularly, stopping something you do, or trying a new activity.
Conversely, you might decide that you’re doing a pretty good job of investing in your Self Sphere and that it’s really not the area you need to prioritize to live and lead more purposefully. That’s fine! I encourage you to think through the questions below before you decide for sure, though.
- What Self Sphere activities are working for you now? (By “work- ing,” I mean that they feel inherently rewarding, you notice how they improve your well-being and/or performance, and you enjoy doing them—at least once you’re over the initial inertia and in the act.)
- What are you doing that isn’t working for you? Why not? Can you stop or swap it for something else?
- In terms of what you’re doing and/or who you’re doing it with or for, how varied are the investments you make in your Self Sphere?
- Would you like to diversify the kind of activities in this sphere or double down on a few things you already know work or are willing to test out?
What blind spots might you have about the power of investments in the Self Sphere, or what types of Self Sphere activities are there that you haven’t tried? Are there people, books, podcasts, or other resources that might be able to reveal these blind spots for you? (If not, check out my Reader Resources list at the end of the book.) Are you willing to spend 15 minutes this week with one of those resources to overcome those blind spots?
Now, draft a belief statement about what you want to change in your self-care/Self Sphere. Ideally, it will be simple, clear, and measurable. Here are a few examples:
- I need and want to swap my outdated commitment to running with something that provides me more rest and joy.
- I need and want to develop a sleep routine that gets me back to the 7.5 hours I need every night to have the impact I seek.
- I need and want a self-care routine that fits me better rather than the default one I use now, because I know it’ll be effective and efficient.
- Notice that the belief statement doesn’t include exactly how you’ll achieve the goal you’re setting; just what you’re going to do and why it matters.
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