Lydia Johnson Consulting

Week 22A It’s all about CHOICES

When I stop and think of all the millions of choices I have made throughout my life, it is overwhelming! Scientists say we make between 3000 to as high as 60,000 decisions every day! Hard to believe, I know. Even choosing to stay in bed with the covers pulled over our heads is a decision and a choice…leading to less decisions throughout that day, but still some that will need to be made.

When I reflect back on my own life, I have examined the bigger choices….family, relationships, career paths and business choices.  Once each was made, a new path began.

make choices

I share this exercise with you because it helped me to actually visualize my own personal emotional highs and emotional lows, so far in my life. A mapping out, if you will, of what happened at each decision crossroad. Here is the exercise….

  • draw a horizontal line about which will be the “age axis”
  • draw a vertical line on the far left of above line which will be the ” emotions axis”
  • be sure to place the vertical line so that it is evenly spaced on the horizontal so that you have a “neutral” zone. ABOVE the median will be Positive emotions. BELOW the median will be Negative emotions. Imagine the graph something like this:

line graph

Now take some time and plot your emotions from as far back as you can remember on the AGE axis…usually about 5 years old for most of us. Incrementally at about every 5 or so years, plot along that axis till your current age. If life was about neutral plot along the middle line. When happy emotions were super high, plot way up on the page. Likewise for the negatives…if very low, plot way down towards the the bottom of the graph. Take your time and continue to plot key memories and emotions for as many things as you can remember. You may want to make a note at each plot but not necessary.

Once you have plotted all your key memories, you can draw a line to connect each from the beginning (approx 5 yrs old) to current day. The line will show your ups and downs in life in a visual form.

What’s the point? Looking at the visual can sometimes help us to “see” our lives on reflection which can help us to make more powerful decisions moving forward. Sometimes when we examine each of the emotions…highs and lows, we can connect them to what was happening for us at those times. Often we can connect them to a “habit” in our decisioning process. Did we make the decisions at times of FEAR, ANGER, HURT FEELINGS, GUILT, UNWORTHINESS or because we were WHOLE, PERFECT, STRONG, POWERFUL, LOVING, HARMONIOUS, AND HAPPY ?

Of course controlling how we will PLOT moving forward is key. Reflecting is helpful and with our new negative FEELINGS as tools, we are able to build a much stronger future!

choose

11 thoughts on “Week 22A It’s all about CHOICES”

  1. Lydia – while I have done the reflecting I’ve never plotted it specifically as to age and emotions – it would be interesting if some of the 7 year pattern were evident in the graph. Love that you tied in the list of negative emotional tools and the completely perfect affirmation from Haanel’s readings. Will definitely do the exercise! Blessings & Hugs.

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Have fun with the exercise…it is definitely a valuable physical view of year gone by and the ups downs and neutral emotions we attached to our lives.

  2. Lydia! This months Og scroll suggests the emotions are what we make up, they are not real. Growing up with five younger siblings I saw as many as eight different emotional reactions to the same event. What is their source, how are we being manipulated and who is doing the manipulation? For what purpose? When I first began asking the questions I saw the purpose was not mine at the very least. One of essentials skills, the ability to control our mind, our thoughts and our emotions will be a life long adventure. I am NOT my thinking, my thoughts, feelings, beliefs or mind. I can control all of them so they must not be me.

    1. lydjohnson says:

      Michael, I too, grew up with 5 siblings so like you there were many many times that there were 8 different emotional reactions to events. I often wondered looking back if I was part of the same family events. We are so fortunate to be able to see what we see now and reflect on our pasts with a fresh new perspective. Thanks for sharing Michael.

  3. lydjohnson says:

    Michael, I too, grew up with 5 siblings so like you there were many many times that there were 8 different emotional reactions to events. I often wondered looking back if I was part of the same family events. We are so fortunate to be able to see what we see now and reflect on our pasts with a fresh new perspective. Thanks for sharing Michael.

  4. Rosemarie says:

    Lydia, thanks for sharing your plotting exercise. I will have to try it sometime.

  5. I loved you graph and how you explained it. Wonderful tool, thanks for sharing!!!
    Hugs Cheryl

  6. lydjohnson says:

    Thanks for your comment Cheryl. Yes it has been a well used tool for me to reflect on. Hugs right back at you!

  7. jlauden says:

    Lydia,

    Interesting exercise. I am at work presently but will complete this when I am alone in my office tonight. Roughing it out in mind currently to plot the course later. Thanks for a very clever and unusual message.I can’t wait to see the results.

    John

    1. lydjohnson says:

      I will be curious to hear of your graph John!

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