How to Change Your Life
I did my first “life analysis” after reading “Design Your Life”, a book by Stanford design professors, aimed at supporting people in creating a full, and energy-giving life. I picked the book up while working with a career coach during a job transition, and have adapted it to help other women get clear on where they’re at, and what type of life they’d like to create. Too often we focus on one area we’re unhappy with, when in reality, we feel much more vibrant having a well-rounded and full life.
When doing a life analysis, the most important thing is to have no judgment and be really honest with your current life. By “starting here”, we can see what’s working, and what’s not, and assess where our energy has been going to create tangible life shifts.
My inspiration for the categories came from the book “Chop Wood, Carry Water”, the first book my spiritual life coach recommended. After reading at the beginning of my spiritual journey and path of self-discovery, I realized how important things like sex, money, and play were in our lives.
Society teaches us not to talk about these “taboo” subjects, but they’re integral to how we both feel and interact as humans. Below, I share how to do your own life analysis, and I invite you to have some fun with it and get a little weird! I always recommend choosing whichever category scares or excites you the most, because that’s likely where the most powerful opportunities for changes lie.
Steps for a Life Analysis
Set yourself up with time and space to reflect and get honest with yourself, maybe this means tea and a cozy blanket, or my personal favourite, a self-meeting over breakfast at a local diner.
Grab a pen and paper, and list out six categories: health, money, love, work, play, and sex.
Rank where you’re at right now from a scale of 1-10, 1 being absolutely terrible, and 10 being over the moon amazing.
Give yourself some time (minutes or days!), to sit with each category and really feel which one you want to focus on. If you’ve been focusing on one area for a period of time already, choose another area that excites or scares you, as the way we do one thing is the way we do everything, so by focusing on more play in your life, you’re carry that same lense into all areas!
Set some weekly or monthly goals to create shifts in that area of your life, and watch the magic unfold.