This exercise will show priorities and their importance.

You need five sheets of paper and a pencil.

• Write “Life” on the top of two, and “Spirit” on the others.
• Draw a circle on one life sheet and two more on two spirit sheets.

The life circle is more of a bubble. If it helps, imagine the life bubble as a fishbowl of nouns (people, places, or things) swimming in your life. On the other life page, list all the people, places, and things living inside your bubble. It is your bubble, so you decide what is or isn’t in. This is the magic of having your own bubble; you decide who is invited. It will help to ask others what the nouns are in your bubble. Most times others see things that we are blind to. When you think you have a good list, write the names in your bubble. Begin by placing the ones most important to you at the center and work your way out till the least important is near the outer edge. The other circle is your spirit circle. Imagine this as an energy meter of sorts, except that this is spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is unique in that it is both physical and mental energy. For example, a psychotherapist’s job is not physically demanding, but it is mentally exhausting. There are different ways to use this exercise. My goal is for you to get a snap shot of your bubble. Begin by thinking of all the things you do in a week that zap your physical energy and write those on the spirit sheet without the circle. The list may be similar to the life list. Now, on the back of the same sheet, write the things that take or give mental energy. Again, ask other people what they think. Start writing those things in your circle like before, starting with the physical energy. The ones that consume more energy go close to the center. Look at the circles side-by-side. See any failure. If the words in the middle match (most physical energy goes to what is important) then congratulations, you have a match. Now, in the other spirit circle do the same thing with the mental energy. How does it line up? If your physical and mental energy match your life bubble, then you are spiritually in line with your priorities.

Proceed to go and collect the inflation- adjusted rate. However, if there are areas that need tweaking, then do so. I use this exercise for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with good results. If the choice is to wait before fixing the misalignment, the result is bankruptcy. Delay means more work to get fewer results. This drains the bank quicker and almost guarantees that the work won’t happen. The symptom of misalignment is apathy- as in, come Wednesday, you don’t care. Apathy is gender specific in women; it takes the form of criticism, and in men, withdrawal. Imagine that spirit meter and treasure; the energy drain leaves you spiritually broke. Sometimes you just need to shift your physical and mental energy. Spending energy on things that near the edge of life leads to crisis. This occurs when your energy usage does not match your treasure. You may say “no,” but your actions say “yes.” My job is not to tell you how to live your life. My job is to simply show you the tools. What you do or don’t do with the tools is entirely up to you. If you are a Do, then the directions needed are in hand.