I = Imagine and Inculcate the Ideal. Inculcate means to implant by repetition. This goes back to the strategy of daily, deliberate focus on the things that we are working towards. The ideal outcome of the integration of our responsibility and our personal preferences will be options that allow us to blend them in such a way as to love the process of doing what we really ought to do.
Each day by affirmation, we continue to implant inside our thinking, inside our emotions, this captivating desire to do what we really are supposed to do, what we are designed to do, what our purpose in life is all about … and to love every moment of it.
T = Test the Template. This part is pretty simple. It’s time to take what we’ve figured out about our priorities and put it into action. Let’s make our schedule according to the priorities we’ve determined and see how it goes.
I = Investigate Impediments. There are going to be obstacles, challenges, and problems with the templates that we create. When we encounter them, we need to begin to find solutions.
If you find it difficult to come up with solutions, remember that your focus should be on the long range, big picture view of life, rather than the short-range difficulty. Solutions will come as you learn to look for them.
E = Establish Excellence. Since excellence is our goal in life, now we begin to create a rhythm of life based on the priorities we have established. At this point we’ve developed a plan and written it down. Now it’s time to begin to thrive in the rhythm of excellence!
S = Stretch Towards Significance. As we find a rhythm of life and become excellent at embracing our priorities, we will find that our lives reach a place of significance. We all have the same number of hours in the day. Our path to significance can be found through determining our priorities and using that knowledge to schedule our calendars and make decisions.
Remember, this is a topic that should be reevaluated periodically. There may be seasons in life where some priorities shift, or where a lower priority (like work) might need a greater degree of time and focus than a higher priority. Your framework can be fluid, but I believe that it must be built in order for you to become the very best version of yourself.
Exercise:
What is your ideal picture of your life with healthy priorities?
How can you spend time visualizing this each day?
- Priorities
- P = Personalize Preferences
- R = Recognize Responsibilities
- I = Initiate Integration
- O = Organize the Options
- R = Review the Resources
- I = Imagine and Inculcate the Ideal
- T = Test the Template
- I = Investigate Impediments
- E = Establish Excellence
- S = Stretch Towards Significance
Integral Development Forum 