Energy and Action Framework – Step 0 – Standing In Place

Do you know where you are right now?

Are you standing hunched over looking sideways nervously? Or are you rolled up on your side in a fetal position wishing things were better than they are today? Are you standing tall with your shoulders slung back with some swagger?  Are you a lamb or a lion?

Or have you not considered this notion of where you stand in a meaningful way for awhile?

So I have a few leading questions for you to consider if you are interested in embarking on the Energy and Action Framework…

The first step in the Energy and Action Framework is not a step forward or backward, in fact it really is not a step whatsoever. This first thing I do with clients is to take stock of where you are today in all facets of your life. There are a number of off the shelf tools that can be employed during this initial phase of the Energy and Action Framework (EAF) that will also inform your position on your life map.

• Consider your personal vision and blueprint for your future. Do you have anything like this written down and committed to?
• Core values. Do you have these written down and do you review them regularly
• Your personality. Have you given any thought to your personality type and what are you biggest strengths and weaknesses based upon your personality type?
• Your strengths and your mode of operation? Have you given any thought to what you know in your bones as your top strengths? Have you given any thought to how you conduct yourself when you are getting things done? Are you a grace giving person that is genuinely appreciative of the help you get from others or are you a hard nosed type A that is focused solely on delivery. Or are you prone to both of these approaches depending upon the context?
• What sorts of daily routines dow you have? Do you have a true morning routine? What is your night time routine? Do you have a start/end of routine for your workday?
• Take a look at the 13 DOLs and stack rank your level of happiness on a scale 1-10 with 10 being heavenly goodness and 1 being a raging dumpster fire.

This is by no means all of the questions you could ask of yourself in this first portion of the EAF, but they will get you looking at exactly where you stand as of today.

The most important thing is starting.

Evaluate the questions and write down your answers, especially the scoring of your happiness levels. It is okay to not have a bunch of this stuff, I’m certain that many in your life have not written down their core values for example. We are seeking a baseline of your current conditions, and we can build from this initial point of view.

The goal here is get the honest information on yourself – down on paper – as it will directly influence your priorities in the subsequent steps. Save the self judgement when it is useful.  At this very early stage of performing this likely unnatural assessment on yourself – any self judgement will only shut down the information flow.  Shelve the self judgement for now.

Finally, take note of your mindset as you conduct this self review. Are you committed to working this framework? Are you scoffing at this process?? Are you trashing your inability to live up to some preconceived standard? Are you able to acknowledge the fantastic work that you have done thus far in your life? Write down the mindset you currently have on this assessment. Your mindset is a leading indicator of much in your life – this exercise will help to clarify what I mean…

Get ready to stand tall, now that you know where you are taking a knee.