we’re not always aware of the amazing network of people we have around us who can offer support…
This tool can really help us to identify and raise awareness as to who we have in our lives, how we relate to them, and how they can support us.
It can also give us insight into any gaps or areas that we want to develop.
STEP ONE
Draw yourself a diagram like you have here, with you in the middle and three concentric circles. Each of these rings creates a zone of support for you.
The innermost ring is for your closest people who you know will support you no matter what. You could ring them at 3am if needed and they would be there.
The second ring is for people you know and are friendly with, such a friends, colleagues, your neighbours, wider family etc.
The third ring is for people who are important to you and provide a function, but you don’t necessarily have to know that well. For example, your local barista you makes you the great coffee, your accountant, your dentist.
STEP TWO
For each of these rings, write down all the people in your life who represent these three categories. You may want to leave your diagram out and keep adding to it over a couple of days, as more people can come to mind.
STEP THREE
Now you should have a visual representation of people in your life you can support you in different ways. Now you can dig in to reflecting on what this brings up…
How did you feel carrying out this exercise?
What do you notice looking at your diagram?
Are there any circles which are more full than others?
Are there any gaps?
Are there any surprises for you?
What have you learnt from going through this process?
STEP FOUR
If you want to dig deeper into this you may also want to consider how these people support different elements of your life. See the tool below…
EXPLORING FURTHER
It can also be really beneficial for us to be aware of not only just how many people we have in our support networks, but also what kinds of functions they play in our lives.
Here you can use this framework to identify what kind of support people give you in your life.
STEP ONE
You can fill in each section of the wheel with the names of people from the tool above. You may want to repeat the same name in more than one section.
Feel free to edit and add your own labels to each of the sections that feel right for you.
STEP TWO
Now you can reflect on this wheel to see what has arisen.
What do you notice looking at your wheel?
What is standing out for you?
Is there anything you didn’t expect to see?
Which areas have got loads of names in them?
Are there any gaps?
Has this told you anything about which areas you might like to focus on?
What is the useful learning for you here?
