Origin Mapping

The Intent

Separation begins by tracing and identifying the origins of your goals, values, and beliefs. The Origin Mapping tool aims to help you map those origins to reveal which goals came from the outside, not from yourself.

The Practice

Take a notebook or create a document, and then list every major goal, value, or belief you hold. Now, go through your list, one by one. For each goal, ask: "Where did this come from?" and write the first answer that comes to mind. Keep going and continue questioning until you reach the earliest identifiable source. Record the origins of your goals: family, media, peers, culture, or yourself. Mark which items came from yourself, and which came from influence or imitation.

The Insight

An external origin suggests that your goal may be a borrowed script, while those that come from your own reasoning may be authentic choices. This initial mapping is where the act of Separation begins.