Write down five identities or roles that you have. For example: gardener, pet parent, mother, athlete, etc.
Changing systems requires seeing things from new and unfamiliar perspectives. This means not just learning about wellbeing, but also training our brains to adapt to new ways of being, working and thinking.
To see an example of how to use this exercise in a group setting, review the facilitator guide.
Get out a pen and paper to try out this exercise designed to help us experience the importance of being whole.
Write down five identities or roles that you have. For example: gardener, pet parent, mother, athlete, etc.
Now, cross one of those identities off the list.
Now, cross another off the list. You should have three remaining.
Do it again.
And do it one more time.
You should be left with one identity on your paper. Now, consider: how would it make you feel if everyone knew you only through that one identity? Write down your thoughts.
What if that one identity was an identity that you are not proud of?
We live in a country where our intersecting systems primarily see people through just one identity. And often that identity is one they’re not proud of.
Think about:
Katya Fels Smyth introduced WIATT (the Wellbeing Insights, Assets & Tradeoffs Tool) in a webinar for the American Planning Association, St. Louis.
Katya sat down with Equal Measure President and CEO Leon T. Andrews, Jr. to discuss the five domains of wellbeing, the importance of sustained funding for systems change, and FFI’s closure this year.
This discussion guide accompanies the video of the same name that introduces a powerful visual analogy for the systems that lead to unequal access to wellbeing.