The Learning Circle

“X” marks the spot, so the saying goes. In this case “X” is any event that grabs your attention, whether good or bad. Kairos is a Greek word that refers to time, but not the kind we measure with a clock or calendar. Kairos is a special moment when it feels like time is standing still. It could be a mental eureka sensation where you have a creative surge or a moment when you feel something special.

Often we’re so busy we ignore these thoughts and feelings and keep moving in the same direction. However, when these moments occur, it’s helpful to take a detour and do these six steps:

Observe  ·  Reflect  ·  Discuss  ·  Plan  ·  Accountability  ·  Act

There are two words in the middle of the circle: Redirect and Apply. Redirect means to change direction. Apply means to put into practice. Changing the way we think and putting those ideas into practice are the foundation for healthy living.

Here’s what this might look like in real life: You’re in the middle of a difficult conversation with your spouse and something shifts, a moment of clarity that you’ve been approaching the relationship all wrong. That’s your Kairos moment.

You Observe it rather than brush past it. You Reflect on what it means and why it hit you the way it did. You Discuss it with a trusted friend, a coach, or in a session together. You Plan a specific change, maybe a new way of listening, or a habit you’ll stop. You set up Accountability, someone who’ll ask you how it’s going. And then you Act, taking that first concrete step.

That’s the circle in motion. It turns a moment you might have forgotten by Tuesday into something that actually changes you.

Walk through your own moment

Think of something that’s been on your mind: a conversation, a realization, a moment of friction or clarity. Use the prompts below to take it through the circle.