I’ve put together an exercise to help you find your unique duration for your personal ego-RHYTHM™.
How to do this exercise:
Read the questions below and take notes as they pertain to time frames, time spans and how long your phases, issues, patterns or ego-RHYTHMs™ usually last.
What we are looking for is a fairly defined period that applies to your past experiences. That time span is considered your personal ego-RHYTHM™. Averages are okay.
Ready? Here goes:
- What is the approximate length of most of your relationships? If you have been married for 20 years take a look at your earlier, defining years.
- How many years do you drive your car before you get a new one?
- How long do you stay in a job before you feel you need to do something else? Is there a pattern on the frequency of promotions or moving into other departments?
- Have you undergone major career changes? The average person changes their career seven times. How many times and how often have you changed careers?
- Have you ever said I just need a change? Did you then change something? If yes, how often?
- How often do you need to reinvent your personal style? Do you get bored with your look and change your hair color and style? If yes, how often?
- What about your wardrobe: do you get tired of your favorite pieces and need to re-invent your look? If so, how often?
- Have you gone through a phase such as being a vegan, vegetarian, Goth, punk, or being green? How long was that phase?
- How often do you move or find new roommates?
- Do you redecorate your place and/or change the color of your walls on a regular basis?
- Do you set short-term or long-term goals for yourself? What is the specific time frame you give yourself to achieve those goals?
- How far apart were your children born?
- Did you have a set “baby break” and how long was it?
- What external circumstances, such as your own health issues or those of a family member, can you factor into your rhythms?
- Has there been a tragedy such as the death of an important family member or a period of bad luck? If yes, how long did these events have a major influence over your life?
You may have your own questions for yourself as well – such as leasing a car, refinancing a home, getting a divorce and reentering the dating market.
Tell me about your own personal durations: do they last, like mine, three or four years? It would be interesting to compare – because we’re all different, and every instance of someone else’s life helps us all. Thanks so much for sharing!
