Managing Life’s Dimensions

Purpose

Hello there!

You are here on this page by invitation and I am so happy that you will be taking the Managing Life’s Dimensions assessment. This will help give you clarity on what is working and not working in your life, what might be zapping your joy and energy and what you can practically do to step forward into your future.

This exercise contains eleven dimensions of life, and when put together create a picture and tell a story.  Your story.  Your past does not define your future.  Taking a snapshot of your current realities empowers you to envision and create your future.

The different parts of our lives are not segmented, and they do not work in isolation, but rather they are interdependent.  Each one of your life’s dimensions influences all the other dimensions in your life, as represented on your Managing Life’s Dimensions wheel. At the core of how we function and live is our spiritual life.  This is the hub to our wheel of life.

The purpose of this exercise is to identify what balance looks like in your life.  It also brings clarity to areas of satisfaction and areas of dissatisfaction.  With new clarity, you can set future growth goals and identify actions that will move you from where you are now, to your future and desired vision for each dimension.

This self-assessment is a snapshot of where you are at a given point in time. There is no right or wrong answer. This is not a report card on how well you have performed, or what you have achieved. The reflective questions are not exclusive but intended to stimulate thinking. This assessment is for you!

The assessment is organized around four categories: Faith, Relationships, Personal and Professional.

You will need to download three documents provided: questions, wheel and worksheet.

Directions

Step 1 – Current Inventory

1. To begin, you will take a snapshot of your life for each of these life dimensions. Your answers to the questions should be representative of where you are currently at in life, not merely reflecting a single good or bad day.
2. Don’t spend too much time thinking about the question, give the answer that first comes to mind. Give the best possible response to each statement even if it does not provide all the information you would like.

For each of the questions, rate yourself based on this scale:


Step 2 – Current Reality 

1. After you answer all the questions in the assessment then total your scores for each of the categories, or life dimensions. The lowest total score for any category/life dimension is zero and the highest score is 10.
2. Once you have a total for each of the life dimensions, transfer those total scores to the Managing Life’s Dimensions Wheel. For example, if your total score for the “Job and Career” was an 8, on transfer that score onto the Managing Life’s Dimensions Wheel by marking an “x” on the 8 on numbered graph line for Job and Career and continue with each dimension. Continue moving around the circle plotting your score for each dimension.
3. Connect the “x” marks you just made in each dimension, this will  form a wheel or an oddly shaped circle. This visual is a reflection of both the balance and the health in your life. It is not about getting all 10’s but about having a smoother ride. If this wheel of your life were a tire on your car, what would the ride feel like?
4. Take a moment to note any insights as you reflect on your drawing.

Step 3 – Closing the Gap 

1. Using the attached Managing Life’s Dimensions – Closing the Gap Worksheet, identify no more than three dimensions that you want to work on toward your ideal future state. One or two is best and after a few months of progress and finding a routine, consider adding another dimension or goal.
2. Identify no more than three activities or goals for each dimension that if achieved will move you to your future state. For example, if you are working on Health & Fitness, the goals might be to lose 20 pounds, decrease blood pressure, and sleep 8 hours per night.
3. When determining your action plans, the following questions can be used to help you get started in creating your goals, “What will I…”
   1. Keep Doing?
   2. Stop Doing?
   3. Start Doing?
4. Continue filling out the Managing Life’s Dimensions – Closing the Gap Worksheet for each life dimension and goals identified.
5. As you continue filling out the Managing Life’s Dimensions – Closing the Gap Worksheet for each life dimension and goals identified, what is a good next step? How can you break down your goal into monthly, weekly and daily goals? Who else needs to be involved or who can be a resource?
6. Your spiritual life is the hub of these life dimensions. Where do you need God to open doors, confirm direction or provide wisdom?
7. How will you keep this plan alive? Where will it be that you can prayerfully reflect on a regular basis each week?  What will that look like?
8. What would your life look, sound and feel like if you were to reach your future desired vision for your life? How would it matter for eternity?

Step 4 – Accountability

1. Identify someone or a group of individuals who can be your voice of accountability and source of encouragement?
2. Do you have a prayer partner with whom you can journey this together?
3. What steps do you want to take this week?

Step 5 – Celebrate!

1. What is working well? Find three to five things that are working well and celebrate that. Financial may be low and an area you want to work, but what can you celebrate and be thankful for? Income? A balanced checkbook? No overdrafts this month?
2. Share your future vision for yourself with the person(s) you have invited on this journey and dream about what your life will be like as you begin to achieve your goals.

Someone once said, “knowledge is power.” You are now more knowledge and able to move forward.

God’s richest blessings!