Leverage Maps #26: The Value Of Life Constraint Mapping

I first came across the “9 lives” exercise from Max Klimenko on YouTube: 👉 Write down nine lives you’d live if you could snap your fingers and start today. 👉 One of them should be your current trajectory.

When I tried it in May of 2025, my list was scattered: land conservationist, rural banking reformer, nuclear energy entrepreneur, teacher, engineer. It showed how many possible selves were pulling at me.

I repeated the exercise this morning following reflections during my sabbatical. My new list is sharper: staff+ engineer, blockchain communicator, organizational consultant, writer, futurist. It’s the same nine slots, but now most of them orbit around systems, technology, and communication.

The difference is that today, I did more constraint mapping. Writing the lives down showed me how they all draw from the same limited resources: time, energy, and credibility. By pruning the ones that didn’t connect, I gained clarity.

At first, it felt like a loss of potential. But really, it was focus toward more grounded, aligned pursuits.

That’s the value of life constraint mapping: refining your vision until the paths reinforce each other.

👉 If you wrote out your nine lives today, what patterns or themes would show up for you?