Have you ever been in “the zone”? What two words describe it? What color was it? What’s an image that describes it?
I call my “zone” of optimal living BEing or Belief Energy. This image partially describes it for me. It doesn’t offer the warm colors of the sun which I associate with my peak life chapters, but it does denote buoyancy and coordinated motion. This boats Belief & Energy are sky high and holding.
This boat is harnessing the wind and motoring forward. It’s also not forgetting how great the breeze feels on its course.
Assignment (before my personal share this time): To help you define your “zone” and the things that keep you there, write down the two words that describe it. Now let’s test your definition a workout.
Both Up:
- Draw an image (like my boat above) that represents a surge in both your words (and what they represent).
- Think or write about how a surge in both relate to the image.
- What was a life chapter that embodied it. Remember it, see it, smell it even.
One up / One Down:
- Draw the image that comes to mind if one is surging and one is declining.
- Think or write about how a surge in one and a decline in the other relates to the image.
- What was a life chapter that embodied it?
The Reverse:
- Draw the image that comes to mind when you reverse the surging and declining word.
- Think or write about how a reverse surge/decline relates to the image.
- What was a life chapter that embodied it?
Both Down:
- Draw the image that comes to mind when
- Think or write about how a reverse surge/decline relates to the image.
- What was a life chapter that embodied it?
Here’s how the exercise went for me the first time I did it.
Belief Up & Energy Up:
- Relevancy: On course with momentum.
- Life Chapter: Right now. Lots going on in every single aspect of my life AND living in Belief Energy.
Belief Up / Energy Down:
Relevancy: Buoyant in purpose (Soul), yet sitting still.
- Life Chapter: The end of my role with salesforce.com Foundation. I believed in the Soul of the work, but elements of the Tribe changed for the worse. Shortly thereafter the Health and Action (and corresponding results or success) stalled.
Energy Up / Belief Down:
- Relevancy: Rowing like hell to keep momentum, without a rooting in soul. Shredding muscles with no assistance from the wind.
- Life Chapter: One or two of my busy selling chapters pre salesforce.com. Succeeding (financially mainly), but why? I summoned as much belief as I could during those times, but in the end what what I transforming? What difference was I making if more phone systems were sold by Sprint in Southern California? I was burned out.
Both Down:
- Relevancy: Sunk.
- Life Chapter: The early parts of my nearly suicidal summer at age 21 (1995). I didn’t know my purpose. My identity was in crisis. I’d lost my safety, support and home. I wasn’t resting (only surging: manically, unhealthily and irrationally). I wasn’t in action or in a role or working toward a goal. Luckily, I have an amazing family and was able to check-out, reset, rest and meet my first true love (running outside).
Hope you found this exercise fun and insightful. It’s meant to help you Define your version of BEing or Belief Energy.