Process vs. Event: What is Your Framework? by Anuradha Gandhi

Myth: Life is a series of milestones to attain.

Truth: Life is an ongoing process, a continuum of experience.

Life is fluid. We tend to frame our lives as shifting through a series of static events and milestones; High School. College. Degrees. Jobs. Promotions. Marriage. Children. Homes. Yet, life is not just a series of events strung together by an invisible string. It is a continuum of who we have been, who we are, and who we are becoming.

What is your framework? Is life an ongoing experience for you? Or is it a series of boxes to check? How you frame your story affects your choices and daily experiences. If all we do is focus on making necessary events happen, we miss out on many possibilities outside our preconceptions.

Therefore, process matters. We can create at least 1,000 versions of our lives with a healthy perspective and process. With infinite choices of what we could become—allowing ourselves to flow from significant events to smaller ones, each little moment adds together to create a bouquet of new possibilities.

How do we focus on the process??We begin by identifying the needs & values that lie at the core of who we are. We line itemize ourselves.?We list and break down the various parts of ourselves, so we can see and speak to all aspects. Perspective based on diminished responsibility or victim status (not taking responsibility for all our choices and desires) keeps us stuck, experiencing singular events, and not enjoying the whole of who we are.

Our values create the possibilities that shape our lives and manifest our potential.?Hence, to honestly acknowledge and voice our values, we must first identify them and the influences that have shaped us. Expanding your current idea of what is possible allows your life's process to flow genuinely.

Reflection Exercise:?Write down 3 to 5 core values and put them by your bed, and read them daily before sleep and upon waking up. Do this for at least a week and explore how this simple act impacts your thought process. What happens to you when you keep your core values front and center? You may also decide to share one core value daily with a friend or partner and explain how it showed up in your daily life.?