The Self-Inventory Framework You Need for Success in 2025
Are you a New Year’s resolution kind of person? Do you have a clear analysis of what went well and what went wrong last year? Has that influenced the resolutions and goals you’ve set for this year? If you’re anything like me, I have a general idea of what I’d like to accomplish and what things I’d like to change. But, let’s face it, doing a serious deep dive into what caused us to be successful, or more importantly, what caused us to miss our goals doesn’t happen all that often. We’re busy, and deep reflection often gets swept aside in the hustle of life.
With that in mind, here’s a simple framework that will allow you to quickly take stock of your life and what could be adversely impacting your success. We’ve used this with very positive results with our corporate and therapy clients to broaden their perspective on what they could be doing to operate at their best, and get the most out of work and life. It’s called BPSS - Bio, Psycho, Social, Spiritual. This framework simply encourages us to look at these facets of our lives to make sure we’re living optimally and holistically.
Bio
Are you physically healthy and taking action to ensure your body is operating well? Our physical health is intricately linked to our mental health. If you’re feeling a bit off mentally and emotionally, make sure you check in on how you’re doing physically. I am most definitely not in peak leadership (or husband, or dad, or …) form when I’m not feeling well physically. By now, I know my kryptonite - lack of sleep, too much sugar, lack of real exercise. If you’re just not feeling yourself, lacking some energy, or your mood gets impacted by how you are physically feeling, it may be time to pay some attention to this part of your life. Starting simple can be a key to successful longevity of changes you make. Just start somewhere and see how you feel and how it affects your thinking, emotions, and performance at work. You’ll be surprised at the powerful impact our physical bodies can have on our overall emotional and mental health, our relationships, and our performance at work.
Psychological
Are you aware of thought patterns, moods, and how emotions are impacting you? Our society seems to have grasped that our physical health affects the rest of our well-being, but we don’t seem to have internalized as a society that our mental health has as large an impact, if not greater, on our overall well-being as physical health. There are a myriad of studies that demonstrate this. Making improvements in your psychological well-being will pay dividends in the other facets of your life. Your journey to psychological well-being will take a unique path, but if you’re unsure of where to start, may we suggest just a few pointers to get you on track for greater psychological health:
Seek out and heal any unresolved trauma you may have. This may not apply to you, given your unique circumstances but we’ve found that most people have unresolved and unprocessed trauma that impacts their thinking and health. Do this with the help of a professional and trained therapist.
Practice gratitude - it calms the nerves, provides perspective, and interrupts negative thought patterns. Spending a few minutes a day in a gratitude journal will pay dividends for your mental health.
Learn to shift mindsets. Recognize unhelpful thought patterns and leverage your body to help your mind switch to something more helpful.
These are simple tools and we’ve found them to be incredibly effective in helping those we work with manage their psychological health and live happier lives. Indeed, if you’re looking to level up your performance, the research suggests that a happy worker is a high-performing one.
Social
Are you making and maintaining healthy social connections? Humans are social creatures. We thrive when we have connections to others and social connectedness is vital to achieving balance and life satisfaction. And yet, we seem to be more and more isolated as a society. Indeed, loneliness has been called an epidemic. Why would researchers use the term “epidemic” which seems to be reserved for issues of a physical nature? It’s actually quite simple yet powerful: not having enough social connection can affect one’s mental and physical health. Researchers have found that [loneliness] increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia depression, anxiety, and suicide. And that ack of social connection is related to increased mortality on par with more widely recognized risks such as smoking, excessive drinking, or obesity.
Take stock of how you are nurturing your social connections. One particularly effective way to do this is simply to reach out to those in your circle with a text along the lines of “this made me think of you.” Doing so will brighten their day, and yours. And, it will strengthen your social connections.
Spiritual
Do you feel you have purpose and meaning in your life? Whatever your disposition, connecting to something greater than yourself, a higher power as it were, gives increased meaning and direction in your life. Enhancing the spiritual side of your life will most assuredly have a positive impact on your well-being. For example, Andrew Huberman, popular professor of neuroscience and podcaster has acknowledged the power of prayer in his well-being regimen. The spiritual dimension of our lives gives us perspective. This increases our ability to manage stress, anxiety and the “chatter” of our inner voice. In fact, numerous studies have linked spirituality to reduced symptoms of depression, increased emotional resilience, higher life satisfaction and overall happiness, and even greater longevity.
Some find religion. Others find practices such as yoga, meditation, and acts of service help them feel more spiritual and purposeful. If, in your self-assessment, you find a lack of purpose, meaning, and limited spirituality, consider how you may increase the spiritual dimension of your life.
By taking this self-inventory and making intentional changes, you're not just setting resolutions—you're building the foundation of a more fulfilling and successful year ahead. So, embrace the BPSS framework and make 2025 your best year yet!