In one of the courses I teach, the students and I interact around the Illness-Wellness Continuum.  Basically, this model helps someone determine if he or she is moving in the direction of Wellness or in the direction of Pre-Mature Death.

The Illness-Wellness Continuum served as a wake up call for me a few years ago as it gave me a new way of thinking about my own health.

Continuum Thinking

I have found what I call “Continuum Thinking” a very helpful tool in determining if I am moving in the right direction, or not.

The definition of a continuum is anything that goes through a gradual transition from one condition, to a different condition, without any abrupt changes.

How Does It Work?

Here’s how it can work:  decide what is important to you, and then decide what the opposite might be.

For example, you decide that Financial Freedom is important to you.  The other end of the continuum might be Debt, or Foreclosure, for example.  And then you identify some steps on the Financial Freedom end of the continuum that get you moving in the direction of that goal.  You could even name factors on the Debt end of the continuum that move you in the undesirable direction of Debt.  The steps on each side are points of evaluation to help you to know whether you are moving in the right direction or not.

Every day we all make choices.  We either move towards the things that matter to us, or we move away from the things that matter.  It’s very unlikely that we simply stay neutral.

Dump The New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time of the year when people set big goals and decide resolutions.  We all know how that goes. Some people actually do run that marathon, write that book, lose all the weight, gain financial independence, or whatever.

But most of us would do better to think of taking steps towards the thing we want to see more of in our life this next year.

What do you want to see more of in your life this year?  What does it look like for you to take steps in that direction? More peace, Less anxiety?  More love, less intolerance?  More Connectedness, Less Isolation, More health, less illness?

The scriptures say it like this:

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19

Your feet are pointed in the direction of the good things that matter to you, or not.  It’s can’t be both.

How about you? What matters to you?  Are you moving in that direction? If not, why not and what can you change to get your feet pointed in the right direction?