The 9-Dimensions
How it started
In 2005, I was asked to design a workshop that explored the power of positive thinking for a group of Human Resource practitioners.
Who would’ve thought that this one request would kick start me into a place of no return?
Through reading and researching content for the initial concept of that workshop, I became more and more hooked on the idea of wellness and grew my offerings into a series of workshops that explore the notion comprehensively.
In particular, the one aspect that really struck me was the relationship between the mind and the body.
The 9-dimensions came to life
The 9-dimensions model provides a do-it-yourself approach to wellness with stories, activities, strategies and journal for assisting you to explore you.
It provides opportunity to take charge of the life you have and build strategy for doing something different or better.
Yes. It’s about change.
And yes, I know. Change is a scary thing for some.
However, as Albert Einstein says, ‘it is the first sign of insanity to keep doing the same thing, hoping for a different outcome.’
You only truly have control over you.
If you want something to be different or better in your life it has to start with you.
How long are you prepared to hope for something to be different or better in your life?
It is just whim and hope that your partner, colleague, boss, parent, sibling or children will morph into something more preferable or appealing to you.
Wishing and hoping for change is akin to expecting the fairy godmother to show up at any moment and grant you that one wish that will potentially change your life forever. In other words, wishing and hoping suggests that control over your life is external to you and that everything that happens simply happens because that is the way life is.
What if, all the magic you require you already have?
What if, you are in control and all that needs to happen is for you to learn to think differently and create belief in your own power?
What if, you could learn that life is all about choice and every choice you make; even when you think you don’t have a choice is actually, a choice in itself?
I’ve been exploring these concepts for a long time now and have got to say, the more able we are to take responsibility for life and the more willing we are to be accountable for the roles we play in life, the more likely we are of achieving success AND creating the life we long for!
It’s about being an active participant; being active in the process; being willing to problem solve and be open to trying new ways of thinking, doing and being.
Over the years I’ve come to realise that life is all about our thoughts, beliefs and the subsequent choices we make. We absolutely need to be balanced and whole.
We need to be well in mind, body and spirit.
Being well is more than just being free from illness.
Wellness is about much more. It means understanding that life is multi-dimensional, and every dimension of life needs to be nourished. Just as our physical dimension – the body – needs food and water in order to stay alive, the other dimensions need nourishment too.
It’s about exploring the mind-body connection for living the life of our desire.
You most likely have never considered your wellness in terms of 9 dimensions, yet I’m very confident that once you do, you will come to realise just how starved of nourishment some parts of you may be.
We need to be operating from a place of being whole in order to make good choices.
Good choices = living the life we desire.
What are the Dimensions?
There are 9 of them: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, environmental, financial and creative.
An exploration of each of the 9-dimensions is a way of creating the life you desire. It will enable you to realise the square of life — health, wealth, love and perfect self-expression, according to Florence Scovel Shinn, in her book The Game of Life and How to Play it (1925).
The only thing that needs to happen is for you to want to become an active, willing learner.
The 9-dimensions enables you to explore all aspects of the mind-body connection, to build depth of understanding that the work and learning you undertake all contributes to the health and wellness of not only individuals, but groups, organisations and communities.
So, here’s the question …
can you have the life you want?
Indeed, you can.
It’s knowing that life is full of possibilities and you are full of potential.
Let the journey begin.