What matters most to me?
On a piece of paper, jot down the different areas of your life that you value – health, career progression, parenting, intimate relationships, friendships, social life. In each box, write a few words about what you want to contribute. Then rate each out of 10 in terms of how important it is to you, and rate it again out of 10, based on how much you feel you’re living in line with that. Those scores give an indication of where you might have been taken away from something that matters to you. For example, your relationship may be 10 out of 10 important, but it’s a 2 out of 10 in terms of how much you’re showing up recently. This isn’t a tool for self-criticism, because it’s normal that life pulls us in different directions, but it gives you clarity. Balance isn’t a perfect sweet spot that you achieve; it’s like walking along a balance beam – you’re constantly noticing if you’re moving too far in one direction and adjusting. That’s why you can do this exercise fairly quickly, but also fairly often.
