The quality of our life is the product of the quality of our thinking. Our thinking is what creates how we feel. There are six layers (or in yogic terms, chakras) that make up our life practice and well-being. The physical, the emotional, the mental, the financial, the spiritual and the social aspects of life.
I recently listened to a podcast by Rob Dial and he talked about a method he created called “CRIPES.” CRIPES standing for Career, Relationships, Intellectual, Physical, Emotional and Spiritually.
He explains that we should take each aspect of our lives and rate on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. After rating each section then adding the numbers up and then dividing it by 6 (the total number of aspects of life). Then taking that number and adding a zero next to it to give yourself a score out of 100. Lastly, comparing this final number to a grading scale of 100-90 = A, 89-80 = B, 79-70 = C, 69-60 = D and 59-0 = F. Essentially, giving your current life practice and situation a school grade.
For example if you rated yourself a 5 in each aspect then adding them all together and dividing by 6 will leave you with a score of 50 or an F for rating where you are in life right now. 5 X 6 =30 and 30/6 = 5 and add a zero = 50.
I took Rob Dials CRIPES method and applied it to my Well-being Wheel. I was a bit surprised with my results being so low overall.
We sometimes don’t give ourselves enough credit. In fact we tend to be harder on ourselves than we need to be. Something I learned from using this method is that there is always room to improve. The need to improve does not mean that we are at rock bottom and just stink at most things in life. It only means there is always room for growth and opportunities to learn more. The most important thing I learned from this exercise is where I do need to focus more on in my life to become stronger in that area. When any one layer or chakra is in imbalance it causes a ripple effect throughout all aspects of life thus causing our entire life practice to feel as if we are not in control.
Perhaps you are thinking and want to ask me “WHY” rate your life. The purpose of this practice is to help you create goals on where you feel like you need the most improvement. Creating goals can help you find “what final result” or “destination” of where you would like to see yourself in maybe 6 months, a year or 5 years from now. But then you may ask “WHAT” to do after you reach your goal. Reaching your goal does not mean the life challenge is over, it only means you can do what you set your mind to. First of all, creating goals is the easy part. Creating the GPS or mapping the plan out can be perhaps a bit challenging and lastly going on the journey and most importantly being patient with yourself can be the hardest part. Begin by breaking down the actions into small ones and tackling each one at a time until you have conquered that action.
Begin by choosing one layer in your life you would like to see improvement. Create the end goal for that layer, then create a GPS route of how you plan on reaching that point. Think about it for a moment. How would you get to a destination you have never been to without a map or a GPS route? The same thing works for goal accomplishments. Follow a route and stick to it. If you choose to take a detour while on the route then you will naturally extend the period of time it will take you to reach your destination. Setbacks and life happen. Be patient with yourself and guide yourself back onto your route and keep going. This is where consistency helps win the game to reach your lifestyle goals. Remember, “Slow and steady wins the race!” “Life is a marathon and not a sprint.” Take it in stride and jump back onto your path if you find yourself stopping to rest or wandering off onto a different path. The key to success is consistency and to keep moving forward.
So today I invite you to take the Life Rating Challenge to find out where you need to focus most to improve your life practice.
Create a goal on how much you want to improve in that area and map your plan out to move forward. Remember, the only way to reach your goals is to stick to the GPS and most importantly be patient with yourself. Celebrate all your wins no matter how big or small. You got this!