The Wisdom To Know The Difference Part 12

beauty art theatre music literature creativity appreciation expression

Take a slow, deep breath and ask yourself, If something were to happen in my life in the area of my relations.h.i.+p with beauty and the arts, what would that mean to me? Would I look at the world a little differently than I have been? Would I take more time for creative expression? If I could choose to see, appreciate, and express the beauty of the world around me, how would I choose to do that?

Linger inside of these questions, noticing any urges to rush through to the next section or to set this piece of the work down. And breathe.

And, gently, breathe...just settle and allow your attention to come gently to rest on your own breath.

Conclusion

Let your awareness touch once more on each of these areas: intimate relations, parenting, family, friends.h.i.+p, work, education, recreation, spirituality, community, self-care, the environment, and the arts.

Notice any urges to skip certain areas of life or to rush through the end of this practice. See if you can't breathe that urge in and out. Without opening your eyes, call your attention gently back to your own body here in this room right now.

Take just a few minutes to write about what shows up for you as the most important thing or things in your life and why this is important and meaningful to you. Write your deepest thoughts and feelings about this area of living. What you write does not have to be grammatically correct. Don't worry about spelling or even necessarily writing in complete sentences.

Now set your timer for ten minutes. Please write for the entire ten minutes. If you cannot think of what else you might say, just rewrite the last thing you wrote over and over until something new comes up. If you run out of room in this book, continue on a separate sheet of paper.

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Not that you've spent some time wondering about these areas of your life, we're going to ask you to fill out the questionnaire below. Take time filling it out, but don't get stuck. If you come to parts where you feel stuck, move on and come back to them. And don't worry about giving the "wrong" answer. This is about your life. You will not turn this in and have someone correct it. You will, in all likelihood, come back and change things as you practice. Remember, this is about cultivating patterns that grow and develop over time. Just make a start, however small, and offer yourself the kindness of letting that be enough for today. The questionnaire is the beginning of a conversation with life, not the end.

The Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ-2)

Below are twelve areas of life that are valued by some people. We are concerned with your quality of life in each of these areas. You'll rate several aspects in regard to each area. Ask yourself the following questions when you make ratings in each area. Not everyone will value all of these areas, or value all areas the same. Rate each area according to your own personal view of it.

Possibility: How possible is it that something very meaningful could happen in this area of your life? Rate how possible you think it is on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 means that it isn't at all possible and 10 means that it is very possible.

Current importance: How important is this area at this time in your life? Rate the importance on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 means the area isn't at all important and 10 means that the area is very important.

Overall importance: How important is this area in your life as a whole? Rate the importance on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 means that the area isn't at all important and 10 means that the area is very important.

Action: How much have you acted in the service of this area during the past week? Rate your level of action on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 means you haven't been active at all with this value and 10 means you've been very active with this value.

Satisfied with level of action: How satisfied are you with your level of action in this area during the past week? Rate your satisfaction with your level of action on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 means you aren't at all satisfied and 10 means you're completely satisfied with your level of action in this area.

Concern: How concerned are you that this area won't progress as you want? Rate your level of concern on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 means that you aren't at all concerned and 10 means that you're very concerned.

Now that your VLQ-2 is complete, let's use what you have on paper to do a little more pondering.

Wondering Your Way through Values

Let your eyes go closed and picture yourself ten years in the future. Imagine that you have lived in ways that are very consistent with your values and that living has shaped your life. What are the most important values you have embodied in your life?

Try to think of at least one important value in each of these areas. What might each of these look like lived in your life? See if you can imagine snapshots of particular moments that exemplify the living of those values. The images can be quite simple.

Open your eyes and imagine that you could help your current self to live well. Invite stories into your mind that express what each value means to you. Work through each value and give a rating of both how important each value is to you and a rating as to how closely your activities map onto each values narrative.

As you do so, notice thoughts, emotions, memories, evaluations, and the ways these tug at you. Practice letting go of each as you bring your attention gently back to the value.