{"id":311,"date":"2017-07-06T00:41:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T00:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/?p=311"},"modified":"2017-07-06T00:41:00","modified_gmt":"2017-07-06T00:41:00","slug":"geometry-and-your-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/2017\/07\/06\/geometry-and-your-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Geometry and your journey"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Geometry and\u00a0your journey<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">You are constantly making adjustments in your behavior.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>These adjustments are a mixture of our conscious mind and our unconscious mind.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The unconscious mind makes decisions based on learned behavior, experiences, and even present mood (you\u2019re more likely to drive fast when you are experiencing heightened emotions than when you\u2019re not &#8211; that\u2019s a decision to drive fast, or not drive slow. \u00a0And yes, uplifting music makes you drive faster.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dodeca.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dodeca.png 220w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dodeca-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px\" \/>The more often you make these course corrections the more it becomes a part of your personality; of who you are. \u00a0Your journey through life is not just physical, but mental (learning knowledge) emotional (we mature from experiences, good and bad) physical (our bodies grow, adapt and react), and spiritual (we learn wisdom and self control and governance). \u00a0 This journey, if seen as an actual line, varies from individual to individual. \u00a0Though we are changing and adapting, we are essentially in a closed loop of behavior. \u00a0We count on a number of base behaviors to keep up going, to keep us alive, healthy (for some just healthy enough), maintain relationships and gainful employment. \u00a0We may think of our journey as a meandering path that winds ahead into the horizon, but our daily <em>behaviors<\/em> are a closed loop, because they need to be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0That closed loop can be imagined as a geometric symbol. \u00a0Imagine you go through life and course correct to maintain the path you think you should be on\/want to be on, and then course correct again. \u00a0Don&#8217;t think you course correct? \u00a0Every day you make a decision not to speed on the way to work, or to cut someone off, or to steal a stapler, or get up on time, or not cheat on your spouse or not have dessert. \u00a0 \u00a0Each decision maintains your loop of behavior and maintains who you are. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you make a minor adjustment then you&#8217;re making a slight course correction &#8211; this is the case when you decide to not have the last bite of your sandwich, or to do the dishes right away, or take a breath before you respond to your spouse.<\/p>\n<p>If you make a hard decision, or one that you find requires a lot of energy, then you are making a sharper turn. \u00a0This is the case when you, forgo the cigarette, or take those leftovers for lunch that you don&#8217;t want to eat but will go to waste. \u00a0 Each turn of the wheel helps you complete the path so you can repeat it tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">What shape are you?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-323\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/square-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/square-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/square-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/square-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/square-250x250.png 250w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/square.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 125px) 100vw, 125px\" \/>If every day you are making sharp corrections to maintain your loop, then your loop has a lot of sharp angles. \u00a0Imagine someone who has had a past of criminal behavior, and is trying to go straight. \u00a0Urges to steal, to game the system are still a bit strong and she has to make a conscious effort not to take advantage of things. \u00a0 Her brain considers making a deal with a coworker to punch in for her so she can sleep in. \u00a0<em>Nope<\/em>, she says, and course corrects. \u00a0The night before a work day she considers staying out pretty late to drink. \u00a0<em>Nope<\/em>, she says and course corrects. \u00a0<em>Not on a workday. I want to keep this job<\/em>. \u00a0On our imagined geometric shape we can see those sharp turns, and perhaps her symbol is a square &#8211; \u00a0a bunch of ninety degree hard right turns to stay on course. \u00a0It won&#8217;t be a square for long, as her decisions should become more slight, more intuitive. \u00a0We all know people like this, people who seem to have to look in the mirror and say to themselves, &#8220;No no, don&#8217;t do that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-327\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/pentadecagon-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"118\" height=\"118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/pentadecagon-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/pentadecagon-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/pentadecagon-250x250.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/pentadecagon.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 118px) 100vw, 118px\" \/>Now imagine someone who has learned intuitively to make a lot of their decisions. \u00a0They are very grounded in what they believe (regardless of what they believe &#8211; it&#8217;s not about the what, it&#8217;s about the taking this belief to heart). \u00a0There is no &#8220;should I cut this a**hole off that&#8217;s following me too close?&#8221; or &#8220;How half-assed can I do this task so I can leave early?&#8221; or &#8220;Do I really enjoy doing this?&#8221; \u00a0All those questions have either been answered long ago so strongly they don&#8217;t come up, or the answers to them are so immediate that when they do pop up it&#8217;s as if they didn&#8217;t come up at all. \u00a0That person&#8217;s shape would resemble something closer to a many sided figure, like a Pentadecagon\u00a0(15 sides). \u00a0We all know people like this, they are typically people we look to for wisdom, people who seem to have the answers or conversely people who are just cray cray. \u00a0Yes there are two sides to this coin.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\">A circle is perfection, or is it?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-324\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/circle-300x300.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"91\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/circle-300x300.gif 300w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/circle-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/circle-250x251.gif 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 91px) 100vw, 91px\" \/>Based on what I just introduced to you, the closer your path is to resembling a circle the more things are innate, built in, and intuitive for you. \u00a0Circle of Perfection, right? \u00a0You&#8217;re on your path, and it is smooth, so smooth that you can&#8217;t really see the course corrections as they are either happening at a rate of infinity or there is no need for corrections. \u00a0If you experience this then you have some pretty smooth sailin&#8217;.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\">Drive a Day<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\">As a physical demonstration of this, you can try the following with your car &#8211; and make sure no one is around and you&#8217;re not going too fast. \u00a0Do it in an empty parking lot or something similar, and only at a few miles an hour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Try to make a circle, but instead of just yanking the steering wheel to the left, imagine that you are only allowed to move it a little and the return it to center. \u00a0You can still make a circle but you will notice the course corrections. \u00a0Turn the wheel a little, then go back to straight ahead for a second. \u00a0Repeat. \u00a0Eventually you will be back at the spot you started. \u00a0Depending on your speed and how move you turned the wheel the circle will vary in size and smoothness.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely you can just yank the wheel to the left and hold it there. \u00a0You&#8217;ll notice that though this method seems easier, it does not allow you to avoid obstacles. \u00a0The down side of the circle is becoming set in your ways and not re-evaluating the situation. \u00a0Know anyone like this? \u00a0I touch on this in my talk Balance &amp; Transition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">You just experienced a day in the life of someone, just by driving in a circle, in a parking lot.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\">What shape are you?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p2\">Knowing all this, take a moment to think about your day, your week. \u00a0Take a breath and imagine the shape of your journey this day or this week. \u00a0How many rough spots did you have? \u00a0Not challenges &#8211; not the crap that happens to everyone &#8211; but the times in which you had to expend energy to make a course correction. \u00a0How many times did the path of least resistance and the steering wheel want to go one way and you had to turn it to go another? \u00a0Those are the turns and course corrections you took. \u00a0Examining that can give you good insight into your journey, your path. \u00a0It can be the difference\u00a0between happiness and mediocrity &#8211; between a stressful and stress-free day. \u00a0It can lead you to understand why you feel unfulfilled, or why you always feel like you are &#8216;going against the grain.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">So take the drive, in your own car, without ever grabbing your keys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Geometry and\u00a0your journey You are constantly making adjustments in your behavior.\u00a0 These adjustments are a mixture of our conscious mind and our unconscious mind.\u00a0 The unconscious mind makes decisions based on learned behavior, experiences, and even present mood (you\u2019re more likely to drive fast when you are experiencing heightened emotions than when you\u2019re not &#8211; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[4,14,28,27,24,15,6],"class_list":["post-311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-balance-wisdom","tag-balance","tag-balance-wisdom","tag-life","tag-productivity","tag-self-help","tag-stuff-you-can-do","tag-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions\/367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyfor.life\/balancecoaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}