Adaptive Cycle for Your Own Growth:
A natural framework to find your way
There is a lot for us to gain by reflecting on ourselves and our lives using lessons learned from nature. The model of the adaptive cycle was created by studying the dynamics of ecosystems.* We witness the adaptive cycle happening around us all the time, and we experience it ourselves. Living things move through phases and stages of life from initial germination, to birth, maturity, and creative destruction. We move through these stages in a cycle, coming back to them in different ways several times in our lives. |
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I used the model of the adaptive cycle to create a tool for personal reflection. The questions in the tool are designed for you to notice, observe, and take steps on a path towards your goals. You can either use these questions to take stock of your life from each of the four stages, or you can use the questions to dive deep into a personal goal or project you are working on. You might find yourself squarely in one of the stages in the cycle, and you can use this tool to pause there and unearth what you find.
You can download a one-page overview of the cycle and the accompanying questions for free by clicking on the icon below. ![]()
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If you are eager to go deeper, I've created an entire workbook for your reflection process. It not only provides an overview of each stage in the adaptive cycle, but also offers space for you to write or type your answers to the reflection questions in the document. In addition to moving through the four stages, the workbook prompts you to set goals and identify possible mindsets that might take you off course. |
*This framework is adapted from the Ecocyle Planning concept (featured in Liberating Structures), itself a concept adapted by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless from Professor Brenda Zimmerman (www.change-ability.ca) and ecologists (http://www.resalliance.org).
Illustration for the Adaptive Cycle for Your Own Growth by Sook Jin Ong.
Illustration for the Adaptive Cycle for Your Own Growth by Sook Jin Ong.