The Catalyst Four
Time, Money, Health & Purpose
Time, Money, Health and Purpose. As we journey through this life, these are the primary catalysts moving us forward - or holding us back. Rare is the individual who masters the delicate balancing act involved in holding all four - but loosely.
The trend is well-established: Pick any 2 (maybe 3 if we're really lucky). We can choose money & purpose and work endless hours, trading time and health as our currency. Or, maybe we zero in on health & free time, but barely scrape by financially. Or perhaps we land on purpose and the extreme fitness version of health, but must exchange time and earnings along the way. Pick 2 - any 2. Life is about trade-offs. That's just the way it works, right?
Not necessarily. Sure - life does involve trade-offs. If you're attending night school, raising a young child, starting a company, training for an Ironman, or any number of exciting pursuits, there are clearly necessary sacrifices within the Catalyst Four that are inherent in the process. The key is to avoid triggering the land minds through our blind focus on (or neglect of) a singular area. There will always be ebbs and flows. "Balance" is a false narrative created by influencers that has little real application to life. However, there is a notable difference between “ebbing” and depleting. One involves the natural shift in priorities throughout our lives. The other creates a destructive multiplier effect. Allow any one of the four to go dry, and your life's long term equation suddenly includes a zero (for those who may have forgotten elementary school math, that doesn't turn out very well).
A valuable first step is to reflect on our current baseline for each of the four. This is not for the purpose of comparing to others, but rather to create a personalized launchpad from which we can move forward. Perhaps with pen in hand, consider on a 1-10 scale to what level you are optimizing opportunities across the Catalyst Four. Note the inherent value in the reflection process itself (regardless of the numbers you find yourself identifying). The simple act of tuning into the individual and compounding value provided by each elevates your baseline (at least) a point or two.
Catalyst Four Self-Assessment
Time - Life consists of a vast array of choices and responsibilities, each of which requires time. On a scale of 1-10, how much margin are you holding available within your typical day or week? 1 = burning the candle; seemingly every moment is pre-committed. 10 = my life includes plenty of ongoing margin available to invest as desired.
Money - Your 1-10 rating scale here is not related to any published "average income" or "net worth" tables. Instead, it's tied to margin - current and future. 1st - have you created, via a combination of revenue and lifestyle (expenditures), an available margin? 2nd - are you creating a margin for the future that will do the same as your earnings from the exchange of time (e.g., a job or career) eventually taper off or end? On our 1-10 scale, a 1 might reflect living paycheck to paycheck while a 10 indicates no financial concerns of note barring a global market meltdown.
Health - The body generally loses 1%/year of strength, power and related components after the age of 40, all things being equal. If under 40, what does life look like in 2-3 decades if your current trend line since age 30 continues? If 40+, how do choices today reflect the life you are wanting to live in the future? On the 1-10 scale, 1 = my health/wellbeing significantly limits my current/future options and 10 = my health/wellbeing allows the strength, stamina and capacity for any reasonable desired pursuit.
Purpose - We all love talking about this, but are we living it out (or setting the stage to do so in the near future)? 1 = I haven't even considered my purpose while 10 = my daily life is driven by an ongoing assessment of and engagement in my purpose on this earth.
For the sake of example, let's say an individual's personal ratings look something like this: Time = 2 (Busy, busy, busy!)... Money = 7 (Long hours at work have paid off but expenses aren't leaving as much margin as expected)... Health = 3 (food choices decent but not great and exercise generally limited to weekends)... Purpose = 5 (honestly, my purpose right now is supporting family financially but reflecting on broader mission limited). This example is common, where time and health are exchanged for money, with purpose on the back burner. Remember, the key isn't the CURRENT ratings, but rather the future trend line, which is where the next step plays a key role. The multiplier concept reminds us small enhancements in those aspects on the low end. In our example, improving health from the current 3 to a 6 (a 100% boost in the multiplier) provides a more valuable payoff than increasing money from the current 7 to an 8 (only a 14% boost).
Personalized SWOT
The SWOT analysis is a common tool in the business world, as it provides a simplified, yet effective way of assessing an organization's (internal) Strengths and Weaknesses, along with their (external) Opportunities and Threats. We're going to take a similar approach to assessing our Catalyst Four. While there is certainly a value in eventually going through this process with all of them, a singular focus provides early momentum on which future compounding between them can be created. As such, select ONE of the four (Time, Money, Health, & Purpose) with which you'd like to begin.
Strengths - Identify one or more capabilities, character traits, skills or connections you currently possess that, if focused on elevating your chosen pursuit, would have a positive impact. These are internal elements - things you already have within you or your immediate circle. Examples might include organization, commitment, resources or an ally with knowledge or wisdom related to your initial area of focus.
Weaknesses - Similarly, identify internal hindrances that may have affected your progress in the past or you foresee impacting movement toward your particular target in the future. Examples could be things like fatigue, loss of interest after initial ramp, or specific distracting or negative habits .
Opportunities - We now move to external factors - things outside of our control but available for us to access - that provide a buoy to our desired journey forward. An upcoming vacation, overtime pay, friends training for a local 5K would be examples of these external opportunities awaiting our engagement.
Threats - Clearly, not all external factors are beneficial. It's valuable to identify the externally existing threats to our desired progress in advance, allowing us to plan accordingly. These might include seasonal weather changes, peer influence, a sick family member or stock market downturn.
As noted, avoid the temptation to create a complex SWOT analysis across the entire Catalyst Four. Big Hairy Audacious Goals may get the headlines, but focused baby steps win the day. Then, once you've laid out your SWOT for one of the Time, Money, Health and Purpose quartet, you're likely to see potential next steps bubble to the surface. Pick an action step you can positively influence in the next 24 hours (e.g., contact benefits department to increase 401K contribution... sign up for 5K... set alarm to turn TV off 30 minute early). Then select a second step that may require a little literal or figurative sweat equity (e.g., schedule an in-depth blood work panel to review with physician, begin regular journaling, meet with a coach). Then it’s GO time!
Again - the emphasis is on a singular shift. The purpose of this self-assessment isn't to remind ourselves of all the ways we fall short. We all have "stuff." Rather, it is the catalyst for a better tomorrow... the beginning of a compounding effect that will continue garnering additional traction for years (decades!) to come. This compounding inherent in the Catalyst Four is our path forward - our shift away from the algorithm that tells us to "pick any two." It reminds us, regardless of where we stand today, that we are not done yet!