The Third Space (Part 3)
The Third Space (Part 3)
In our final section looking at the concept of the “Third Space” as written about by Dr Adam Fraser (2012), our focus moves from the ‘reflect’ and the ‘rest’ phases into the ‘reset’ phase. In this part of the Third Space, we want to be taking a moment to identify how it is we wish to ‘turn up’ to the next role or activity. In particular, we can think about “What is my intention?” and “What behaviour do I want to be exhibiting?”.
To go back to a classic example, the scenario I find comes up most with clients is the transition between their work role and their home role – shifting from how I am at work, including my focus, my attitude and my behaviour, to how I am with my family, such as partner, children and pets. Most of us could honestly say that our intention when returning home to our family is to be positively engaged, interested in hearing about their day, and actively involved in family tasks – and yet without consciously identifying this for ourselves, it can be so easy to be only half present, or to be still holding onto some negative moment from the day.
The simple act of taking a moment to think “How do I want to be in this next space?” can be taken for granted, and yet so powerful in reminding us that we are in control of our mindset and our attitude. Indeed, by exploring some ritual or process to incorporate all three steps of the ‘third space’, we place ourselves back in control of how we approach our lives – certainly the vast majority of clients I speak with have reported positive shifts for themselves through engaging in similar processes. I challenge you to explore this for yourself and notice the differences that emerge both for you and for the people around you. More next time!
More next time!