Have you ever felt like something was wrong or missing from your life and you just couldn’t put your finger on it? Have you ever had a gnawing feeling in your gut that something was amiss, but if someone asked you to verbalize it you wouldn’t know how to begin to describe it? I know this feeling well, and for me it is was the root cause of my addiction to food, cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. I wanted something to cover up that feeling, and all of the above methods worked—temporarily. Then, when I wasn’t eating, smoking, drinking, or drugging--the gnawing feeling would come back with a vengeance, until I felt the need to indulge myself and quell the feeling once more. It was a vicious cycle. But you don’t have to be an addict to know this feeling on some level. We’ve all felt this at some point in our lives.
Because my habits and behaviors were leading me down a particularly dangerous path I felt it was my responsibility to turn things around. After all, If I didn’t do it, who would? I learned, as the old saying goes, that we are creatures of habit, and that our habits are the building blocks of our life experience. Needless to say, I had a host of bad habits that were leading me in the wrong direction, and I really had no idea how to stop them. It seemed like the more I focused on wanting to stop, the more daunting they became—and that was the key. The more I focused on my problems, the less I was focused on the solutions. If I could just figure out a way to flip the script I might actually start getting somewhere.
"Our habits make wonderful servants--but terrible masters."
Now that I was motivated enough to do some inner work, I started reading books by (and about) people that I admired. I seemed to gravitate toward the people that I felt were well rounded and had achieved some level of success in multiple areas of their lives. I didn’t really resonate with people who I thought were two singularly focused. For example, I bought a book by Donald Trump because, after all, who would know more about money and finance then “the Donald?” There was some worthwhile information, but when he said things like “you have to crush your enemies!” I realized we weren’t talking the same language. I like making money, but mostly when it’s to the benefit, and not the expense, of other people. I have nothing against Donald Trump, and I’m sure I could learn a thing or two from him about business, but he’s not someone I’d like to completely model my life after.
The more I read by certain authors the more enthusiastic I became, and I noticed some intriguing similarities. Some of these books were written by current authors like Jack Canfield, Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, Marc Allen, and Michael Beckwith—just to name a few. But I found that their writing and mindset had much in common with historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Allen, Abraham Lincoln, etc etc. The more I read, the more I noticed an emphasis on five areas of life starting to emerge. These areas were sometimes called by different names, but the references were unmistakable. Eventually I put a name to the 5 Main Areas of Life that all of these great teachers were referring to:
Spirit, Health, Intellect, Finance, and Teamwork.
That’s how I started “The S.H.I.F.T. Rule.” The acronym was easy to remember, so I knew that would make it easier for me to implement in my own life. By taking a personal inventory of these 5 areas and then having a daily intention to improve them, even if the improvement was slight, I knew this would lead me in the direction I wanted to go. It was like finally finding a road map for my life, when I had been driving in circles for years.
Isn’t this the biggest problem for most people? We don’t know why we’re here, what we want, or how to get to where we want to go. We get up every morning with a vague intention of “making it through the day” and hoping we don’t have any major catastrophes. Our purpose isn’t really about living--it’s about surviving; but as soon as we create goals for ourselves in these 5 areas and do something every day to improve them—all of that changes. I finally felt like I was LIVING. The cool thing is that The SHIFT Rule doesn’t only work if you’re an addict, it can work for anyone that finds it useful. If you believe that committing to incremental improvement will improve the 5 most important areas of your life—give it a shot. If you believe in another way, then by all means, try that first. The SHIFT Rule will always be here if you need it. There have been times when I find myself straying from the practice, but usually the best way for me to get back on track is to start right up again.
How does The SHIFT Rule work?
The first step is to think about each area of SHIFT (Spirit, Health, Intellect, Finance and Teamwork), and ask yourself honestly “How am I doing in each area?” The key is not to compare yourself to others, but to ask yourself honestly, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being very poor, and 10 being perfect) “How would I rate myself in each area?” Once you come up with that answer, the next logical question is “How can I immediately improve that area, even if it’s by only one number?” (For example: if you’re feeling like a 5 about your Finances, how can you make them a 6?) You might want to start with the areas that you score the lowest in to give yourself a better sense of balance. Like I said, I know plenty of people who excel in one area, but sometimes this causes neglect in the other areas.
For example, we all know of people who make a lot of money, but in the pursuit of money they may neglect their health, their families, or their spiritual lives. On the flip side, there are lots of so-called “spiritual” people out there who let their finances go because they don’t equate money with being spiritual. I don’t see the logic in this, when a better financial position can provide you with more personal freedom, more time to meditate or pray, and more time to appreciate nature, music and art with greater peace of mind. While I don’t believe Finance is the most important area of the SHIFT Rule, it is the one area that can greatly improve all other areas, so it should not be ignored.
NOTE: If you're having a problem in your life you can bet that it's coming from one of the areas of SHIFT. So it's not only a great way to set goals, but it's good to keep these areas in mind when you're trying to identify what's really bugging you.
In my next series of blogs I will go over each area of the SHIFT Rule individually, and talk about some easy ways to set goals and improve each area. For me, success is measured by how much FREEDOM and GRATIFICATION I have in each area, and not by how much STUFF I have. Again, as an example, I like to run long distance races. I could be training for multiple races to improve my health and to have a sense of accomplishment, but if this is taking away from my highly valued family time and free time—it ain’t gonna work!! I want to have freedom in each area, but the ultimate goal is to have as much harmony and balance as possible, so ALL FIVE areas deserve attention and constant maintenance.
Don’t freak out, it’s not as hard as it sounds. It’s just a matter of creating some small goals and then building on them. This is how all progress is made. A commitment to doing small things everyday in order to improve yourself will beat out doing one large thing on a whim....EVERY TIME. It’s the old story of the tortoise and the hare--slow and steady wins the race. I will be back soon with a full blog dedicated to SPIRIT. This was the most important area for me, and the toughest to figure out, but once I “got it” the changes were immeasurable. I don’t have all the answers, but hopefully I have an insight or two that I can share that might have some value for you.
****In closing I'd like to add that nothing I say is inherently true or false, right or wrong. It's just my perspective and my experience. The best guide for doing what's right for you is your own common sense. Please apply anything in The SHIFT Rule that might be useful in your own life, and feel free to discard the rest.
