Consider

This is the assessment phase. We evaluate our experiences within the many different systems and relationships to discover where the dysfunction occurs. Some examples of relationships and systems include: health, career, family, friends, expression, finances, or spirituality.

Sometimes we discover that within our functional behavior there is dysfunction which exists that is toxic to who we are. An example of functional behavior that disguises dysfunction is when we receive awards and constantly exceed our goals because we feel like imposters, so we go above and beyond. This overwork often forces us to give limited time to self-care or to those that we love. When we do spend time with loved ones, we may often lash out which prevents us from having quality experiences.

Conserve

During the conservation phase, we focus on conducting an evaluation of our values and our energy. This is where we define what is most important to us and determine if we are living our lives congruent with our stated values. We uncover the impact of living incongruently and how it has shaped our current experiences and how others experience us. We obliterate the obstacles to congruence so that we can align our energy and our values. This process often requires a shift in our mindset about what is possible, required, and necessary. Sometimes, that mindset shift requires the realignment of a whole family system. This can be a painful process as we discover the damage created through misalignment of our energy and values.

Connect

We ask ourselves critical questions about connections within our lives and those that we do without. Are there connections that we need to re-establish, discover, strengthen, or demolish to promote our optimal selves. There are connections that are as elemental to our well-being as the air we breathe and others stifle our ability to heal, grow, and love. A dysfunctional connection could impede the love we have for ourselves and distort caring connections to become codependency, isolation (pathological co-dependence) or some form of abuse

Create

This is where we create and craft customized solutions that support the prior repairs from evaluative processes that occurred in the prior stages. Creation of coping strategies maintains the harmonious connections that we chose to cultivate. If you are challenged to develop sustainable practices, I encourage you to rely on the gifts that many of us received at birth. Some people may be absent some due to anomalies at birth, disease, or accident, however, many of us still possess one or more of the senses listed below. Tapping into one of these senses allows you to create or craft very simple coping mechanisms that don’t require you to spend excessive amounts of money or plan an indulgent getaway. Both of these options would likely increase your stress more than it would relieve it. You’d be surprised how intentionally using our olfactory (smell), auditory (hearing), visual (sight), tactile (touch), gustation (taste) or kinesthetic senses can rejuvenate us and our workspaces. Identifying your specific type of intelligence also leaves clues to develop effective coping strategies.

Contribute

The contribution portion is the last piece of the 5C system, which may seem counterintuitive since many of us are actually giving too much. However, if you give me a bit of latitude, what I’d like to suggest is that many of us were giving in ways that were maladaptive and it did not fulfill us or bring us joy. You may have contributed in ways that were quid pro quo or from a place of guilt. When you give in ways that are meaningful, it lights our souls on fire and propels us in ways that are aligned with our values. When we find ways that allow us to contribute to the world we give ourselves peace. We’ll help you discover exactly where that peace lies and how you can implement it effectively as an individual or as a company.