In a former career, I was a market researcher and we used to have a wonderful research technique called Deprivation and Immersion. It was a tool to help participants involved in the project really assess what they cared about. You only truly know the value of something until you're challenged to really think about it. Yet 'normal life' is full of distraction, to-do lists, expectations, other peoples needs, and white noise that surrounds modern living. It's so rare that we stop and review the things that have been become invisible parts of our every day, the things we take for granted or have long stopped questioning.
So we’d ask people to give up their phones for a week and tell us about the experience. Or we’d ask people to immerse in using one thing, like giving up their car and only using public transport for their journeys so we could get a fresh perspective on what they valued in travel.
Whatever your experience of lockdown is, we are all in our own live experiments of deprivation and immersion in some way. We all have a precious opportunity for new clarity about what we truly need and want. Let's not waste it in the rush to get back to the ‘old normal’. Here is a moment to really step up for yourself and have a big clear out of what really isn’t working for you in life.
At the end of each year, I usually have some kind of review of my year. I start by looking at my values and assessing how well I lived according to them that year. I then proceed to make a list of what I want more of and what I want less of in my life for the coming year. And from that, I set some intentions for the year.
In this, I take a good look at how my work is supporting me. I think about the people in my life and my relationships with them. I think about my environment and what I need to fuel me. I think about the inspiration and growth that I'm looking for. And by doing this accordingly to my core values, I have a very useful filter for keeping me living my truth.
Now feels like a great moment to think about what you want from your life as we come out of this period and adjust to a new normal. I’ve put together a special template for you to use to help you make the most of the insight you’re having about what you most need.
Let me know what new intentions you set as a result.