As mentioned briefly in the BIONIC post, I have been working fairly consistently on defining the next generation of PLANESCAPE, which I call “Regen”. Over the next several posts, I will share the details behind this new approach as well as its multiple “advancement subsystems”. I believe this new framework will allow even more intellectual and interpersonal growth over the coming years, so I am excited to share this here!
Q: What is Regeneration (or “Regen”)?
“Regen” is the third major release of the Planescape advancement framework. It is an evolution based upon personal and professional experiences over the past 3-4 years, extensive research and intense self-analysis.
Q: What was the catalyst for Regen?
It is difficult to pinpoint “one” main driver.
At some point in 2008 I came to the realization I was not taking care of myself. Unfortunately, by the time I realized this, my overall self-confidence and self-esteem were at an all-time low. Recognizing this, I took steps to read more about the challenges I was facing and what I could do to better understand who I was, how to manage my thoughts, and advance to the next level of “life”.
I also came to a realization that I didn’t have a clear sense of my values. In fact, up until this point, I really had not taken the time to identify values that were ultimately important to me.
Finally, I think came to the conclusion that things in my life were not “working” and I needed to make significant changes to make things better.
Q: How does Regen differ from previous Planescape “releases”?
When I first came up with the idea for Planescape, there was no real concept of an advancement “framework”. Or if there was, the framework was quite simple – it consisted of dividing my life into short-term “phases”. Each phase served as an entity for identifying and tracking goals for a 3-6 month time period. It was a way for me to document my history and to learn from that history. I call this “Version 1.0”.
Version 1.5 introduced the “Plane” concept. At this point, I realized that the phases seemed to exhibit a natural “evolution” all on their own. I wanted some way to capture this evolution while at the same time identify a long-term vision and align these phases within that vision.
Version 2.0 saw the introduction of numerous “foundational” elements. It was at this time where I realized that having short and long-term goals was not enough to be successful. In this version, I introduced “containers” for a formal self-esteem framework, standards and values, principles and “modules” for dealing with crises and even death. This version also started to explictly define “areas of concentration” – i.e. what were the key things that interested me and that I wanted to pursue?
Version 3.0 (“Regen”) takes many of the ideas first explored in Version 2.0 and takes everything to the next level of refinement. The main elements contained in this version include advancement “subsystems”, a “living rulebook” and value / strength / principle “inventories”.