I’m putting together an Integrated Life Framework.

What’s that, you ask? Why do that, you ask? Or, maybe you didn’t ask any of that. Regardless, I’ll tell you.

Whenever you integrate things it gets messy. It doesn’t matter if it is computer systems, businesses, or people. If you’re George Costanza things just blow up! 

As we try and integrate our work, our personal lives and ambitions, and our relationships, things can get a little chaotic. A framework is a way to structure, organize, and contextualize things so that you can keep the messiness down to a manageable level.

Introducing the Integrated Life Framework At a high level, here’s the concept.

The Self. This is at the center and what we’re talking about today.

The Practices includes things like meditation and faith.

The next layer out is Manifestations, which for now I’ll define as the source of your inspirations and your dreams. It is your intellect, what you learn, and non-material things you’re acquiring along the journey of life. I call it the Manifestations because all of that is demonstrated by what you go after and pursue.

The Roles is the next level out and is straightforward. It encompasses all the different roles you fill in life… employee, manager, father, friend, husband, etc.

Finally, the last and most outer ring is the Environment. It represents our interactions with others including family, coworkers, and society. We’re always moving in our environment filling one or more roles.

That’s the concept. So you know, you’re coming along on a creative process with me as I develop this and try to apply it. It may make more sense as we proceed. If not, that’ll be good feedback, too.

Alright then, let’s dive in.

The Self
Yes, there’s a lot of philosophical concepts and theories we could explore here, but I wanted a simple definition. I don’t think things are absolutely fixed in our self, but I also recognize we got dealt a hand. There are some things about us we just gotta accept.

Here’s the working definition of self I’m using: Self is the person you are born to become, as of today.

I say “as of today” because you don’t know where this journey ends and it’s futile to try and figure that out. When it comes to self, don’t worry about tomorrow. We can look forward, but that’s pointless. We can look backward, but that’s only helpful if we’re seeking to learn. In regards to our self, today is relevant.

You were born to become someone. Maybe you’ve had some setbacks and hard times. Maybe you feel like you’re not where you wanted to be by now. Regardless of the outside factors that impact your life, the self has shaped you. The way I respond to an event and the way you respond to the same event will be different. That’s the self. It interprets situations and then influences how we process events.

Understanding self is called self-awareness. It is a common topic today and an important one. It encompasses things like knowing our personality type and our predispositions. It includes understanding triggers and things that make us react. And, it is the ongoing and dynamic evaluation of our self as we interact with others.

As Mark Manson, says, “Self-awareness is wasted if it does not result in self-acceptance.” We aren’t looking to define and analyze self so that we can change it. We don’t want to learn about self so that we can diagnose it, judge it, or hate it. The goal is self-acceptance.

As you understand and accept the self, you can see how it permeates and impacts the other layers of the framework. For example, maybe there are things about your self that impact your practice of faith. Being more self-aware, you may find spiritual practices that provide more connection and meaning.

I’ve written about the Enneagram, which I think is a useful tool. Journaling and writing are also a way to work on understanding the self. Reverse engineering some of our thoughts and desires can help provide insight into the self.

Regardless of what you choose to do, spend some time on this Simple Sunday to contemplate yourself, who you are as of today. We’ll get into more application as we move forward in this year. Until then, make Monday awesome!