Do you feel that the current living environment is changing faster than ever? Do you find that life and work are becoming increasingly unstable in this world dominated by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity?
And on top of that, do you need to deal with other major events that impact you because they change the dynamics and trajectory of your life? But what if you had the right space and tools to visualize and design possible plans for your life?
The benefit of doing this is that it will no longer seem complicated to act because you will know exactly how to get there. And this “there” can have several shades, several versions, several paths.
I want to introduce you to the four dimensions of the Live Beyond program that make up the 4D Pyramid.
LiveBeyond is a program dedicated to anyone whose life has turned 180 degrees, personally or professionally, and who needs to find their compass and gain more clarity about their next steps in life.
Probably your life is no longer the way you projected it some time ago. You need a safe space where you can reflect and create the most suitable version of your life from now on. You need a safe space in which to start the “I can do it a little more” journey.
What is the 4D Pyramid?
Wondering where 4D comes from? It’s simple: Discipline, Discovery, Design, and Do.
Discipline
Discipline is the foundation of the pyramid. Discipline is a person’s ability to remain focused and engaged in daily activities, even in the face of potential challenges or distractions.
When you are in a period of transition, generated by a major event, it is very possible to feel overwhelmed by daily activities and many compromises need to be made. On top of that, the compromises you make may accentuate your negative emotions because you feel like you’re not doing enough personally or professionally, or maybe even both.
And every day you feel like you’re on a carousel that doesn’t stop: many activities -> compromises -> negative emotions -> many activities -> compromises -> negative emotions. Sounds familiar? Discipline worked for me. I was and am a disciplined man. When I wasn’t, I disciplined myself, maybe not from the first, second, or third day. But surely, at some point, I found the strength.
Discipline helps you stop the merry-go-round and find the will and determination to prioritize activities, let go of what is not important now in your life, and guide yourself with habits like punctuality, consistency, and perseverance. That’s why discipline is the foundation because it’s the basis of the next steps you can take to redraw and redesign your life.
Discovery + Design
The next two Ds come from Discovery (= to discover) and Design (= to draw).
“Discovery” is the process of discovery, of looking deep inside yourself, of putting on paper what your beliefs, values, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses are.
Does it scare you? It’s normal because it’s a difficult process that will challenge you. But following this process, you will build your compass. The compass will guide you through the world because it will tell you precisely if your actions and decisions are aligned with who you are as a person and what is important to you. And it will give you freedom and peace, and compromises will no longer be compromises, because you will either stop making them, or you will make them, but from a space of acceptance. It’s like when you want to go to the sea and the mountains, work on a project, attend conferences, see friends, play with children, and read, but you’re just a man and you only have 24 hours. what do you do first?
And of course, you compromise and your negative emotions grow exponentially.
At such times, discipline and a compass will guide you. “Design” is about the freedom and peace of mind to plan and experience what you want next in your life. This is the stage where you will put down a plan, two or more.
You will start exactly from the point where you are, because only then will you be able to set realistic goals and act to achieve them. Each small victory will motivate you to take the next step. And you will see how the plan you built will take shape day after day.
I want to emphasize this point. It is important to start from where you are. If you try to ignore reality and want to start from another point, that does not correspond to your reality, it is very possible to end up with frustration and unsuccessful efforts.
If from tomorrow you would like to stop working and just go for a walk, it is possible that you are not starting from the point that corresponds to your reality. That is if you don’t have any money saved or won the lottery. In my experience, “Discovery” and “Design” go hand in hand, because I was able to access the “Design” area when I had peace, and I had more peace after following an intense process of discovery. And surely I could do both because the foundation, that is, the discipline, was solid.
Do
Are you wondering why “Do” is at the top of the pyramid? Because your actions will truly serve you when you know and recognize your emotions, when you know your values and beliefs, your own, not those of your family, friends, and society, and when your strengths and weaknesses are your allies.
Discipline, compass, curiosity, and willingness to experiment will guide your actions, and all together will build your life plan. You probably already realized that the pyramid can also be turned upside down. For me, when “Do” is low, either I am not able to act, or my actions do not make sense, because they do not serve me, they are not aligned with what I represent. Then I get frustrated and unhappy.
But when the pyramid is aiming for the sky, when the foundation is solid, when I feel the curiosity to discover and experiment, then I have the energy to do things.
Take what I told you with you and stay close. I’m going to tell you about tools that can help you step by step to build each dimension of the 4D Pyramid step by step.
