Core Knowledge: Life Approach Assessment
Professional development in the 21st century requires an awareness and constant assessment of one's life approach. A life approach is defined as the way someone thinks about themselves and the world around them. Regardless of background, ethnicity, education or any other characteristic, everyone has a life approach. As Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1854, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. “
Thoreau understood his life approach. Do you? This core knowledge assessment requires individuals to evaluate their life approach. Doing so
provides a valuable exercise that can help achieve a greater level of self-awareness. Since MEAPA believes that professional development is directly linked to personal growth, a greater level
of self-awareness is a requirement for today's global workforce.
LIFE APPROACHES: While there are many different ways to define the approach one uses for life, we use the following six.
- FORGING: You think you can create your life and use effective thinking in order to translate your vision into reality by taking action. Used most often by people who are open to new ideas, take action and seek to grow both personally and professionally.
- EXPECTATION: You think you need to live or act a certain way and that dictates all your actions regardless of your own goals. Often used by those who do not want to disappoint others.
- RANDOM: You think that whatever is going to happen will happen regardless of what you do, how much effort you use or how much you learn. Used by those with low self-esteem and/or positive thinking.
- INERTIA: You feel sorry for yourself and sit around doing nothing for long periods of time but yet expect something to happen. People use this life approach when they want others to feel sorry for them.
- BUS STOP: You think someone else will come along and tell you what to do or where to go. Used by those who are content with letting others make decisions.
- PRIVILEGED: You think you are privileged and deserve everything with no effort. Used by those who rely on connections and often lack a strong work ethic.
Exercise: Select a time period (ex: during the last six months) and then decide how often you practiced each life approach. Make sure your percentages add up to 100%. Remember to complete this exercise often!
- Forging: % of time used ________
- Expectation: % of time used ________
- Random: % of time used ________
- Inertia: % of time used ________
- Bus Stop: % of time used ________
- Privileged: % of time used ________
Questions: After you assess the percentage of time spent using the different life approaches, answer the following questions:
- Which life approach have you been using lately and how do you know? Explain.
- Have you used other approaches in the past? Explain.
- Is there another life approach that you use but is missing from this list? Explain.
- Has there been a point in your past when you changes life approaches? Identify which life approaches you switched to/from and explain why you did so.
- Would you say that your current life approach is helping you translate your vision into reality? If yes please explain. If no, what can you do to change your life approach to one that will help you translate your vision into reality?
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