Weaving A Meaningful Whole
Integration is the key to a meaningful and fulfilling life. Your life is so much more than your career – for if you are not working, then who would you be? The true measure of your life is where you are in relation to becoming complete as a person. Each time you face a transition, you attend to some area of growth and discovery. The journey is not about getting old or staying young – it’s about growing into your own beauty.
Understanding Life’s Chapters
The adult lifespan, when grouped into decades, consists of unique themes, issues and callings. Each decade or chapter consists of a different adventure, guided by shifting concerns and opportunities. You can use these chapters to make sense of what you are facing now and what you can expect in the journey ahead.
20-SOMETHING: Leaving Home
- Keep options open
- Avoid commitments
- Become more responsible
30-SOMETHING: Making It
- Develop competence in career
- Strive to advance
- Establish niche in society
40-SOMETHING: Individuation
- Seek to be own person
- Focus on what matters most
- Increase self-responsibility
50-SOMETHING: Celebration of Life
- Lessening of distinction between work and play
- Leisure interests increase
- Focus on enjoying the journey
60-SOMETHING: Beginning Again
- Increased drive to live life to fullest
- Live by beliefs
- Seek quality experiences
70 & 80-SOMETHING: Blessings
- Model the fullness of life
- Offer wisdom and perspective
- Inspire others
Purposeful Renewal
As you progress through the chapters of adult life, some parts of your life lose importance while others become more important. We each progress through life’s transitions at a different pace -- arriving at key junctures and experiencing change in different ways, for different reasons, and with different learnings. The four dimensions of an integrated life include: Mental (achievement, learning, vocation, etc.), Physical (fitness, nutrition, health, etc.), Emotional (self-love, authenticity, intimacy, etc.) and Spiritual (purpose, meaning, goodwill, etc.). Identifying which dimensions are less developed or lacking attention at this juncture of your life will become the first step in the process of purposeful renewal.
Exercise:
Get two pieces of paper and draw a large circle on each page. Label one circle as “My Life Today” and the second circle as “My Desired Life”. For “My Life Today”, slice the circle into four parts to represent the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of your self. Allot each segment a size that represents how much attention or energy you currently place on that aspect of your life. Put words and/or symbols to represent what you put your attention toward. Next slice the second circle, “My Desired Life”, into segments representing how you would like to direct your attention and again use words and/or symbols to represent each dimension.
The RESOURCES section is intended to help you get started addressing the gap between where you are now and where you would like to be. Enjoy the journey!