The 1-10 Scale: How to Assess Your Life's Journey
Life is full of ups and downs. There are moments when we feel on top of the world, and others when we feel like we are at our lowest point.
It is easy to get caught up in the moment, but it is important to take a step back and assess our life as a whole. One way to do this is by using the 1-10 scale to evaluate the quality of our experiences.
Think about all of your life’s experiences on a numerical scale ranging between 1-10.
10 being the best day of your life and 1 being the worst day of your life.
Perhaps a 10 is the day you drew victory to an impossible feat or accomplished a lifelong goal – you experienced a combination of hedonistic (pleasurable) and eudaimonic (purposeful) joy.
Perhaps a 1 is the day a family member passed away, you were put through immense physical suffering, or your world came crashing down after a devastating failure.
The 1-10 scale is a simple method of rating our day-to-day experiences. By assigning a numerical value to our experiences, we can gain a better understanding of the overall quality of our lives. We can see patterns and trends, and identify areas where we need to focus our attention in order to improve our overall well-being.
However, in a world riddled with steadfast comfort – most people shield themself from experiencing any sort of pain or discomfort. They avoid experiencing the 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s. On the contrary, they also won’t take the necessary risks or sacrifices to experience the 8’s, 9’s and 10’s in life.
Most people in the western world live an unwavering life, between 4 and 6 - an average of 5.
4 is the day your boss yells at you. But you know what? You don’t really care about your job and you know it’s a means to an end.
6 is the day your team wins the Superbowl and you get to celebrate their accomplishment. Their performance brings temporary happiness, but as the media’s coverage ends, your joy relinquishes.
To experience true highs, the pendulum must swing both ways. You must be willing to devote yourself to something that is not easily attainable and you must be vulnerable enough to accept your own failure. You also must be willing to risk ‘what is comfortable’ to attain something that is uncomfortable; something foreign; something of quality.
It is important to remember that life is not about achieving a perfect 10 every day. It is about striving for a range of experiences worthy of remembering.
It’s important to not fall into the trap of 5.
To maintain an average score above 5, we need to take care of ourselves both physically and mentally. We need to eat well, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and take time to relax and recharge. We also need to cultivate positive relationships with those around us, and make time for the people and activities that bring us joy. Lastly, we need to focus on long-term purpose revolving around self-mastery, service, kindness, and devotion, but we also need to have enough short-term pleasures and rewards to enjoy the process along the way.
The 1-10 scale is a valuable tool for assessing our life's journey. By striving for an average score above 5, we can ensure that we are living a life that is fulfilling, enjoyable, and memorable.
Now go back and look at your last 4 weeks, what experiences were noteworthy?
Do any come to mind, any?
If none came to mind, you might want to ask yourself if you satisfied living a life bound between the range of 4 and 6?
If you have too many [days, weeks, months, years] in a row - at or below - a 5, it might just be time for a change.
Own the Process,
Tim
Author & Founder
