THE FOUR QUADRANTS AND DOMAINS OF LIFE
WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE TO PROGRESS TO?

These quadrants and domains exist in a related and corresponding manner, as if one is directly above the other in a separate plane.  To live a life in the higher domain, one learns and progresses such that he/she exhibit these behaviors and perspectives.

This piece is a “layered” piece, where I could have just referred to other parts, but I’ve included those other parts so that you can do down to whatever level you want right now.  The person who wants to be effective in rising up the domains will go to the detail for reference and comparison to what he/she is doing and/or thinking.

THE QUADRANTS AND DOMAINS STACKED TOGETHER 




































(A growth person might print this graphical representation and post it as a reminder until fully integrated.)

(I have shifted the numbering to roughly correspond to the Four Importance/Urgency Quadrants used in Covey's books.  That link includes a "test" to link the results you are getting in life to which quadrant you are spending time in.)


WALKING THROUGH THE QUADRANTS TO YOUR DOMAIN

Look at the quadrants and domains, noting which you are in the most and compare it to which ones you want to be in the most.  (It's fairly obvious, but you must, at some point, actually decide in which ones you are going to live your life.

Going from the 'lower', negative quadrants and domains is simply a process of following the steps, doing the doing of what is doable, with no mysterious processes or magical leaps, but through a process of making a definite high-payoff investment of time and energy. 


WHICH QUADRANTS DO YOU LIVE IN?

When you are experiencing the emotions listed at the bottom of each quadrant above, that is a definite indicator that you have "chosen" the behavior and thinking in that quadrant.  People bounce around the quadrants but tend to stay in one more than the other.  Where do you live your life?

Feelings are the ultimate indicator of whether one is practicing and thinking in a way that works.  The feelings don’t “run” the person, but only serve as indications to use to note when one is "off" and therefore needing to correct one’s course.   (See Living Life As A Champion.)

Which one is your primary quadrant and do you want to move up the quadrants? 

If you want to stay where you are and continue to get what you are getting and to experience the same feelings you are experiencing in life, then stop here.

If you want to go to the highest quadrant, then continue on, learning what is in each quadrant and domain and adopting those practices and ways of thinking that people in those quadrants do.


SELF-DIRECTION, AS THE 'SECRET'

Incidentally, the secret is imposing and following self-control practices.  The way one always learns occurs as one goes and one practices, with some failures but clear intention, until one develops the habit that will get one everything he/she wants in life.  Yes, there are failures, from lack of knowing yet what needs to be learned, but you simply re-direct back to doing what is right, and at some point you'll find that it is natural and automatic, because you have practiced it over and over until it is a habit.  (Although “imposing” self control sounds “bad”, it is actually freeing and empowering as you continue to do it; after doing it for awhile, it also becomes easy and effortless, becoming the 'natural; choice,without even having to make a decision.)

Review the following graphical representations and see what you think should be in each quadrant or domain and decide what you will be proactive about doing.  (See Proactive Versus Reactive.)   

(These will be modified and edited, but there is plenty of substance for you to proceed.)

(The Four Quadrants Of Emotions is relevant here, as this is a useful way to classify each emotion one is experiencing.   See Emotions - The Intensity And Pleasantness Graph.  We need the right amount of intensity, or "arousal", but not too much or too little.  We need a good degree of pleasantness to operate well in life, and to reduce the unpleasantness.  To operate well in life, we need times of low arousal, of calm and relaxation, and especially 'rejuvenation'.  And, if, and only if, we do that, we will be able to live in the positive/pleasant medium to high levels of arousal, from pleased to delighted to excited.  The pathway to the "good quadrants" is to eliminate the causes of being in the "bad quadrants" - and to dwell in a proper balance where we are "filling up" with low arousal, rejuvenating activities time.)


MOVING TO THE HIGHER DOMAINS

The steps to go from each undesired quadrant to the higher quadrants are just as you would imagine them to be: 

1.Identify each of the undesired behaviors and thinking and stop them.
2.Identify and install (substitute) the opposite behaviors and thinking, shifting to what works.

This can be done by any individual, though I’ll go through and work up a list as soon as I get a chance.  It’ll be called “Moving To The Higher Domains”, in case you use the search engine to find it.

    __________________________________________________________________________

Actually, this page is here for convenience, copying a portion of a Word document that I think is worthwhile to go through, as it tends to deal with all of life, in a summary form.   (The numbering of the quadrants is different but the ideas are the same.) 

This more complete version takes you into alot more depth on what is in each quadrant and domain, and what you should do to be in each.  It takes you through a sequence, leading to the highest domain.

Spend sufficient time here to "get it", and copy these pages to put in your Reminders Notebook or some place you can review it.  The document link:  The Four Quadrants Of Life And The Four Domains Of Life.

I think you'll find these especially interesting (they are in the document, but I've extracted them into these pieces) :

The Conversations Of The Higher Domains  

QUADRANT I OF LIFE: HIGH NEGATIVE
The Stress/Reactive Quadrant

(Unpleasant, high intensity, aggressive survival) 
“Attack, attack!  Danger, danger!”
Burn out, exhaustion, 'busy'



DOMAIN I.  REACTIVITY, IMMATURITY

I am the victim.

Anger, resistance, resentment, feeling bad

QUADRANT II. HIGH POSITIVE
The Aliveness Quadrant 

(Pleasant, high intensity)

Opportunities! Creating and living into a designed future.
“Love it!  Go for it!  Love without limit!”

DOMAIN II.  GROWING, MASTERY

I am the creator

Peace, fully powerful, satisfied, happy

QUADRANT IV.  LOWER NEGATIVE
The Apathy/Mediocrity/Victim Quadrant 

(Unpleasant, low intensity, passive survival)
“Get up and go, got up and went.”
Passion, commitment killed                                     

DOMAIN IV. APATHY, HELPLESSNESS

I give up.  I’ll settle for the minimum.

Denial, resignation, hopelessness, helplessness

QUADRANT III. LOW AND POSITIVE
The Preparaton/Rejuvenation Quadrant

(Pleasant, low intensity)
“Mellow out, sublimely renew, peace, man.”
Passion, commitment supported, enhanced


DOMAIN III. LEARNING, GROWING

I will create the life I want.

Creating more peace, power, satisfaction, happiness – adding more and more.