Change Cycles

All people have life cycles and changes within their life. Cycles are not necessarily cyclical. Changes happen on an individual level, whereby someone seeks to make life changes on various levels; and there is collective and social change. Social and collective change happens outside a person’s purview to change. For the purpose of this blog discussion we will focus on the individual (The first part, Individual change processes). It is important to try and understand one’s own life within the context of cycles of change, time and stages of life.

Following through with life’s flow through age and time, we make many decisions; some consciously, and others unprepared and somewhat imposed by circumstances, environment, and others without any particular reason or purpose - however and whatever the reasons, change happens!

In my own life I have observed by going back into my journals that my cycles changed drastically after early life. I used to go through major changes every two years when I younger, but as I got older I experienced major changes. I changed from a two-year change cycle to a five-year cycle. Life cycles happen at various levels in our life. A career cycle of change might not be parallel with one’s personal life change, such as changes on the family front. There are many factors to consider when one is trying to consciously change. Converging cycles do occur. For instance, a career change may not be in sync with the experience of a death of someone close. In the Notebook Exercise 2024, I briefly outline a simple introduction exercise. Charting one’s personal life cycle in not quite the same or as clear-cut as a business project, though the approach might be somewhat similar. The method of a personal analysis is not very different from assessing a business cycle. (This concept will be follow after understanding the individual process levels).

This notebook exercise is more of a life-timing exercise. As we go through life, we experience cyclical change. For instance, some people seem to go through major life changes more frequently than others. Of course, there are many factors that affect life cycles but generally a person’s life cycle (or even an organization’s life cycle, for that matter) is dependent on an individual’s life (or the type of business), itself.

Notebook Excercise

In your notebook, start a new page with the entry headline: Life category cycles. Create two columns- one column for category and another for time (cycle). So you might have written one of the categories as school/study. Okay, beside that category in the next column the time factor (4 years, for instance). So every four years you might notice that you take up studies every 3 to 4 years. So, the pattern of your taking new areas of learning might be every four years. Note that cycles break or even cease to be with time and changing circumstances. Cycles do stop and cycles are subject to change. Where there is a change, make a side note beside the cycle time.

I am not going to give too much instruction for this exercise. I leave the category analysis up to you. Generally, I would start with very broad categories such as career, work, study, health. I want you to use your own discretion and feel free to consider your category outline.

Aside: Sometimes a greater understanding of one’s own level of timing helps to bring oneself into a higher self-reality; and, to a point in time in one’s life journey that opens up to effective change allowing for balance and life perspective and purpose.

What does this mean?

When one is able to recognize their own life’s cycles, one is able to understand their personal, and individual change, in terms of their physical and mental circumstances. Unforeseen changes and circumstances in life can crush one’s flow or balance. There’s a certain degree of change that is totally out of one’s control. How we handle change is totally in one’s control. What may seem out of one’s control can lead to spiritual endurance. Therefore, stay your course and trust in your change.

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