Living a Rich Life

Origins of a rich life

For the past twelve years, I have been doing professional counseling, executive coaching, teaching and consulting under the umbrella “Living a Rich Life.” The concept of living a rich life is based on research I did regarding how people integrate their higher values into their personal and professional lives. What emerged was a holistic view to guide people in cultivating: healthy habits of an open mind; a resilient emotional life; satisfying and enduring relationships; financial and professional stability and integrity; physical health; and personal growth.

The Enneagram enters

I used this model in classes and retreats I conducted as well as with individual and corporate clients. In 2008, I began teaching the Enneagram, a holistic psychological system, because it addressed the personal and interpersonal dynamics that make a rich life more possible. The Enneagram goes below the surface to reveal the core beliefs, assumptions and emotional patterns that lead to satisfaction or to distress. In short, I recognized that living a rich life was an “inside job”: it is not about what our life looks on the surface but how we experience it from the inside.

Moving to a rich life community

One of the changes that altered my viewpoint of living a rich life was my move to Jacksonville, Oregon, a few years ago. To my delight, I am in a community where people often speak about how rich their lives are, how much they enjoy the people they interact with, the business and volunteer activities they engage in, and how they are living exactly the kind of life they had always imagined. Shangri-la? Could be. There is definitley an atmosphere here in which people easily experience a sense of well-being. We call it the “Jacksonville Effect.”

Investigating “livability”

My interest now is focused less on counseling people in how to live a rich life and more on investigating the conditions that allow us all to experience one. Some preliminary research on “ideal” communities has lead me to the terms “livability” or “quality of life.” These terms often refer to transportation systems, multi-generational neighborhoods, libraries, etc. While we have some of those features here, I think there is more to uncover. What are the deeper, less tangible aspects that contribute to our enjoyment of life? This is where my research is leading me.

What is ahead

My “Living a Rich Life” website is going through major reconstruction. Other classes, trainings and professional services formerly listed here are gone. You will see that I am featuring Enneagram trainings right now because this information enhances all of our relationships and gives us new ways to appreciate one another. In the days ahead, I will be featuring images along with articles and poems I have written that reflect what it means to live a rich life. Please stay tuned.