introducing the GLAS cup
The GLAS Cup is a model designed to help raise awareness of how you’re spending your time:
what colours you’re filling the space (time) with,
why you may be feeling overwhelmed or impacted.
As a reminder, the 5 Principal GLAS Elements and what they represent are given below.
the 5 Principal Elements of life and Glas
1.IDENTITY and SELF
The importance of ‘self’, and knowing who we are, is vital. This element is the one that forms the foundation for all others. We might call this the source. Successful people know that they first need to gain self awareness and build personal confidence to give stability.
At this time, each of us needs to look after ourselves and make our physical and mental wellbeing a priority.
2. RELATE
The second element is ‘relate’ - how we connect to others but also to ourselves and the relationship we have with ourself. Relate is about the bonds from us to other people, things, memories and events.
At this time, we need to reach out (electronically in many cases). It’s also where we need to understand that staying away from others is also the right and kindest thing to do.
3. DOING
Most of us want to know what to “do”, how to act and behave especially when everything’s up in the air. How we spend most of our time has changed - even if it’s just the place at which we’re working, in many cases it’s because our jobs are on hold. We still have chores and tasks that need to be carried out. If we only focus on this element, this quickly becomes SURVIVAL; eat, sleep, repeat.
Right now we need to ensure we balance ‘doing’ with the other 4 elements. But where possible, create a schedule for things that need to be done and share tasks with those you’re with.
4. EXTERNAL IMPACT
This is where impact comes from - external to us. If you think of the current virus, it has come from external and created an impact not just on our health but our freedom, economy and work. Impacts come constantly.
Successful people are able to think ahead and be proactive. This is what we need to remember at the moment. Limited the influx of news feeds and take time to read a book or learn something new.
5. PURPOSE
In order to fully thrive, we need to have a sense of meaning and purpose. We need to understand the ‘why’. We often have people confuse meaning with ‘doing’ and ‘relate’ - such as raising children or building their business. In looking to understand purpose, it isn’t something that could be sold, be divorced, leave home, or die. Purpose also helps us to gain clarity and focus - it creates the anchor to the future.
At the moment, we can utilise this element by remembering to step back and see the bigger picture. When things become too much, stay calm and think about a future beyond surviving.
