Balancing the Dimensions of Human Nature
January 24, 2020
To Inspire:
January is a great month for each of us to examine our lives to make sure that we’re living out our own unique purpose with great passion and a sense of real contribution to those around us.
In The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, bestselling author Steven Covey encourages us to build up the four capacities of our human nature: our physical well-being; our socio/emotional well-being; our mental well-being; and our spiritual well-being. For Dr. Covey, greatness is not only enlarging these capacities for our own personal benefit; but also helping others do the same. We certainly concur.
Covey shares that because these four dimensions overlap, we can’t work exclusively on any one without touching the others. Developing and using these capacities will instill within us quiet confidence, internal strength, courage, and personal moral authority. And our efforts to develop these (four) capacities will profoundly impact our ability to influence others and inspire them to find their voice.
Dr. Covey recommends that we make four assumptions each day as a way to begin living a more balanced, integrated and powerful life – assumptions that will provide us with a new wellspring of strength and integrity to draw on when we need it most:
- For our physical well-being, assume that we’ve had a heart attack and live accordingly.
- For our mental well-being, assume that our profession has a half-life of only two years and prepare accordingly.
- For our socio-emotional well-being, assume that everything we say about another will be overheard by them and speak accordingly.
- And for our spiritual well-being, assume that we have a one-on-one visit with our Creator every quarter (to review our life the previous quarter and plan our life for the next quarter) and live accordingly.
As you reflect on what greatness looks like for you, consider making these four assumptions each morning as a way to plan that day accordingly. In doing so, your life will take on more of the greatness it was intended for!
Source: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, Steven Covey