Kathy’s Bloom and Flourish Model

1. Peaceful Base
2. Physical Health
3. Positivity Spiral
4. Flow/Accomplishment/Meaning
5. Positive Relationships
6. Spiritual Connectedness
7. Financial Stability
8. Your Choice

 Yay! We’ve talked about all seven pillars of Kathy’s Bloom and Flourish Model. In the beginning, we discussed the fact that fewer than 20% of Americans are satisfied with life and functioning well. Many of us are getting by, but we aren’t truly flourishing. When we look at the model, it’s easy to see why – many of the pillars are challenging. I myself would say that I am not doing great in several areas.

The first step in moving forward is to figure out where we are now. We can use Kathy’s Bloom and Flourish Model Wheel to get a snapshot of our lives in relation to the pillars. You can download a blank copy of the Wheel from my website; it’s under the “Free Stuff” tab.

First, we want to rate each pillar on the Wheel on a scale of 0 to 10.

10—You couldn’t be more satisfied with where you are at this point in your life. You are right on track.

5—It’s OK, but there are some changes that you could make here and feel more satisfied.

0—There is no fulfillment in this area. You would be much happier if everything about this category was different.

Then we mark our ratings on the Wheel.  If we write down a 10 for a category, we make a line along the outer edge of the circle. If we write down a 5 in a category, we make a line across the piece about halfway between the outer edge of the circle and the center. If we have a 0 in a category, we draw a small line right by the center point where all the pieces meet.

Here is my current Wheel. I feel pretty good about the Peaceful Base pillar. There are always things to simplify and organize, but I’m happy with my Peaceful Base, so I ranked it a 9. My Physical Health isn’t great compared to people who haven’t had brain surgery, but I feel I’m as healthy as I can be, so that pillar also gets a 9. I very much like what I do and create, so Flow/Accomplishment/Meaning also gets a 9.

I have not been consistent in my meditation lately, and I’m feeling a bit negative, so the Positivity Spiral gets a rank of 6. I discussed my failings around creating a local community, so Positive Relationships gets a 5, but I’m already working on that one! I am not as conversant with God as I would like, so I will rate my Spiritual Connectedness at 8. I feel that I do not earn what I could and don’t manage my money as wisely as I could, so I rate the Financial Stability pillar a 7.

I’m sure that you noticed that there are eight pieces on the Wheel and only seven pillars. That last blank piece is one that you fill in. Is there something that you need to bloom and flourish that isn’t covered under the other pillars? Cheryl Richardson, a nationally-known life coach, often writes about her requirement for beauty and nature in her life. Do you need to be surrounded by beautiful things? Then you could label the last pillar “Beauty.” Do you crave being in nature? If so, you make your final pillar “Nature.” If you need both, your final pillar could be “Beauty and Nature.” It’s totally up to you!

I thought for a while about whether or not I needed something else that would be my final pillar. I realized that it is “Plants.” When the weather permits, I love to be outside doing things in the yard. I also like lots of plants in the house. Looking at green plants and colorful flowers has a relaxing effect on me. When I am not surrounded by plants, I am not in the same peaceful state that I’m in when I can see live, growing greenery and flowers. I’ve got quite a few plants inside and out that I love, so I rate my own Plant pillar an 8.

You get to decide whether or not you want an additional pillar. Most hobbies and creations fit in the Flow/Accomplishment/Meaning pillar, but it’s your Wheel, and you can put whatever you want on it. If you feel you must paint, draw, or sculpt and believe those need separate recognition, go for it!

In the beginning of this series, I said that, like all worthwhile achievements, creating a life of meaning and satisfaction would require work. It does! If we just let ourselves be blown around by life’s events, we are like a leaf in the wind; we don’t have control over where we go, and we can get pretty beat up.

We want to be a sailboat that uses the winds in our lives to move in the direction we want to go. There is a goals and commitments page included with the Wheel that you can download. There you can write out specific things that you want to accomplish for each pillar. Using Kathy’s Bloom and Flourish Model helps you to create the foundation that you need to launch out into the world and stay on course to create a life that you love living.

For a little bit of fun leadership development, join 53 Leadership Challenges at KathyStoddardTorrey.com.

Want to go further with your professional development? Check out the courses offered at PositiveEffectLeadership.com.

If you are interested in taking your career to the next level quickly, contact me for a sample coaching session at KSTorrey@tapferconsulting.com. You can go further faster with a great coach!