Rather than being stuck in the muck and caught up in the daily grind, I think it’s safe to say that we all want a measure of ease, flow, and joy.
In some sense, we want our lives to take flight—to go somewhere—and for our experiences to be elevated.
So today, I’d like to offer an exercise to help you move up a few clicks. It’s from one of my favorite coaching books, Coach Anyone About Anything: How to Help People Succeed in Business and Life, by Germaine Porché and Jed Niederer.
I invite you to take 15 minutes or so to give this a try.
Porché and Niederer use airplanes and the four forces of flight (weight, lift, drag, and thrust) as metaphors for the forces that move our lives.
They suggest taking a sheet of paper, dividing it into four quadrants, and labeling it accordingly:
In each section, take a few minutes to note “elements of your life that remind you of that label.”
LIFT – things that uplift you and give you freedom and joy. Sources of inspiration.
WEIGHT — stuff that weighs you down. Burdens. “Obligations you wish you didn’t have.” Sources of guilt and resentment.
DRAG — “Things that hold you back or impede your progress.” Think annoyances, frustrations, complaints. Things like “needless bureaucracy or cumbersome rules.”
THRUST — Things that propel you and give you energy and momentum. For example: “Being supported, making requests. New knowledge, insights. Physical energy.”
Doing this will give you a bird’s-eye view of your life and it sets you up to make small changes, which can go a long way.
Porché and Niederer suggest changing just one, two, or three things in total on the four quadrants. And they say to be very specific. Write down what you will adjust, how, and when.
A pilot only has to make a one-degree shift for a plane to ultimately land in a very different place. In the same way, small, thoughtful changes, sustained over time, can take us far.
So, try this out. Let me know how it goes! Share an insight below!
Contact me here if you would like to work on this together.