Self-Improvement
No More New Year Resolutions! Do This 25 Minute Exercise Instead
In life, as our time rolls on, we need to make certain changes to keep us afloat. Jim Long came up with a fantastic exercise called the 6-Sided Box. It is innovative and very relevant to the changing demands of an adult’s life.
The Game:
Allot 25 minutes for this exercise. During this period, you’re going to focus on the steps at hand, and completely disconnect from anything else. The reason why we set a time-limit is because it ensures that you don’t over-think your answers. Following your instinct is key when it comes to authentic responses.
The Un-wiring:
Record your responses to these following aspects of your life at present:
1. Emotional State:
What was the predominant feeling you have held? How were you feeling when you woke up this morning? You don’t have to focus on either spectrum. Just jot down whatever comes to mind. This means including both the great and the horrible days.
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2. Statistics:
How do you feel about the endeavors you undertook in the last years? What were the projects you worked on? Which ones made a breakthrough? Which ones were difficult? Who are the people you worked with, and if you liked working with them. How many projects had you initially planned to work on in the near past? List the countable aspects of the year under this.
3. Restrictions:
What are the things that have caused a hindrance to your development? Were there people who ruined your professional ventures? Did you commit any misconduct in the office? Have you been way too lazy for your own good? Have you rushed yourself through important deadlines? You can even list things which you held no power over, such as limited resources or canceled events.
4. Chances:
What great opportunities has life thrown at you? Have you regularly met new people whom you liked? Were you accepted into a program you had been rooting for? Did you finally find a publisher for your anthology of stories? Some things from the previous category can be transformed and added here to this list. Tough situations make better navigators.
5. Hidden Ambitions:
This list is for the things and projects that you have been secretly yearning for. Most people don’t know about these ventures because you’re either too scared of failure or just downright embarrassed. Don’t hold back. This list won’t reach anybody else. Visualize all your goals extensively.
6. Choices:
What are you choosing to focus on in the future? Be conscious and aware of your thought-process. Your vision for the future plays a massive role in shaping it. Think of the things you might want to change, and ventures you’re dying to pursue. Paint a picture you’d like to be a part of.
Thanks to Ayse Birsel for this incredible example.
Star An Ingredient:
Take a pen or pencil and draw a star or a circle around the most important thing in each category. Which is the one component that is the highlight of that particular column? Don’t try to rationalize. Simply trust your instincts, and pick 6 of the highlights. This leads us to the manifesto.
Build Up:
Frame a paragraph out of the top 6 that you have chosen. String them all together in this way: most intense emotion + important statistic + dominant restriction + favorite chance + opportunity + best choice. Use positive phrasing like “I will”, “I can”, or “I must”.
Remember that you do not have to bring this agenda to life on your own. You have a huge support system of friends, colleagues and family members that you can always run to for help. Visualize the people you would want with you and to be a part on this journey.
This exercise helps you frame your future with the valid information that you hold. It helps to paint a more realistic picture of what you want to do, what you can do, what you need to work on, and works towards setting your priorities straight.
Let’s make this life count.
Featured image artist is unknown.
