Life Inventory app for iPhone and iPad
Developer: James Hollender
First release : 14 Sep 2011
App size: 9.91 Mb
Note: For privacy all data is local within the app; and there is a different version for iPad.
This app guides users in creating their own Life Inventory, which can provide greater self-understanding of their personality, strengths, and weaknesses. While requiring a significant investment of time, the Inventory allows users to analyze reactions to:
● People
● Institutions and Organizations
● Principles, Ideals and Beliefs
● Sources of Anxiety and Excitement
● Fears
● Sex Relations
The process of completing a Life Inventory doesnt directly address anyones specific addiction(s), but rather helps the user examine in detail events that have transpired in their life. The Life Inventory app gently assists the user in probing into not only what happened, but also why it happened. The questions asked help the user delve into areas often never considered before like:
● What did I want?
● Why did I want it?
● What am I not admitting?
● What lie did I tell myself? (always present)
● What did I leave out or not say?
● What lie did I tell others?
● Have I ever done the same thing?
● Was it any of my business?
● Were my expectations reasonable?
● What was the real truth?
● What was I not seeing?
● Did I fail to see the facts of the situation?
● What actions did I take to get what I wanted?
● What actions did I omit to get what I wanted?
Sometimes the questions are difficult to answer, but once done, they help provide significant insight into why certain choices were made and, more importantly, determining there are often alternative choices available which will make life so much better.
Life Inventory guides the user through six different steps, each with its own activity grouping, for making a Life Inventory in writing:
● Build Lists
● Causes and Effects
● My Part
● Fears Analysis
● Fear Questions
● Sex Relations
The Inventory begins by using one simple list, which defines four fixed Categories in which to file away what are broadly categorized as Incidents:
● People
● Institutions and Organizations
● Principles, Ideals and Beliefs
● Sources of Anxiety and Excitement
Each of the four Categories will contain hierarchical sub-categories that the user created (Miscellaneous is included by default). From there, users outline Entities and then individual Incidents.
Step-by-step, users complete the Causes and Effects of each Incident. Next, users determine the part they played in each Incident listed. It is not unusual to create hundreds of individual Incident forms. The app includes the ability to create and save all written lists and forms with password protection. Having completed all their Incident forms, users can refer to these forms to help list all their Fears. The app includes the following eight pre-defined fears, to which the user is free to add:
● Other people’s opinions
● Not getting what I want
● Not having control of the situation
● Financial insecurity
● Abandonment
● Physical harm
● Failure
● Success
The fifth step is examining each Fear category and answering the following key questions:
● Why did I have this fear?
● When did I first notice this fear in my life?
● How did I hold on to this fear?
● What did this fear make me do?
● What chain of circumstances did this fear set in motion in my life?
● How did I react to this fear?
● What decision did this fear cause me to make?
● How did self-reliance fail me?
● What should I have done instead?
A sixth and final step is examining Sex Relations, where users answer 12 probing questions regarding each individual sexual relationship.
A final Sex Relations exercise asks users to write their sexual ideal towards which they are willing to grow.
For those involved in 12-step programs a Life Inventory is considered the equivalent of a Moral Inventory.
Latest reviews of Life Inventory app for iPhone and iPad
Should be a mobile experience like a set of drop down menus and answers filled in spaces. Instead...it offers a web experience of copious verbiage on multiple pages that leaves the user perplexed. A 12 step book and a pad of paper would be simpler. Moreover it seemed marketed to all, but really seemed focused on addictions and negative behavior. Enneagram or MBTI is a more positive and less confusing path. Disappointed that I spent $9.99 when a trip down the Internet highway would have yielded more for free.
I have to admit - I was a little skeptical when deciding to buy this app. It is not often that I spend $9.99 on an iPhone app, but I can honestly say it is worth every cent. After talking to people I know who have gone to therapy and counseling classes Ive come to find out that this app is highly comparable in the questions that are being asked and also provides a huge cost savings. This app is a great alternative to those individuals who may not be able to afford therapy classes. Life Inventory is truly an awesome app and does what it says it can do. I highly recommend this app to anyone who has a lot going on in their life and needs to take time to Stop, Review, and Analyze why they are feeling the way they are and why they do the things they do. Great app all around!
Life can get us to points where we do not know where to turn or how to fix our situations, ultimately needing guidance or help. If you are someone who is looking to improve your life and want to diagnose some potential problem areas that need work, if so, then I would recommend you try this app. It asks you specific questions and offers you valuable insight and answers based on the information you enter.The $9.99 is just a investment into your future which I promise you will be one of the best investments you have made in a while! It certainly worked for me and gave me a new outlook and caused me to re-prioritize some key areas in my life. Try it out!!
I would say this app is great for working step 4 for the exception that its clumsy and hard to navigate. Its pretty much just a web app with little to no work to make it better for iOS devices. It also looks likes it stores data off the device too. I can see huge privacy issues with this and making it hard for one to be completely honest with an inventory if they are not secure on who can access the data. In short, great idea, needs a ton of work and not worth the $10 USD
There isnt another app like this anywhere and it helps you with problems you face in your life or how to make your life better. Thanks, James for adding a password! In the app theres an explanation in how this works. "The Life Inventory app was created because of the complexity and length of time needed to do a proper Moral Inventory. When persons working their way through a 12-step program start creating their own Moral Inventory and discover that some ways of doing a Moral Inventory might require a thousand spreadsheets, the task seems daunting and many never get around to finishing it, thus depriving themselves of the rewards a Moral Inventory can provide. This app is a first attempt at finding a way to make the task less time consuming, while at the same time helping the user create a valuable asset in their recovery process." James Hollender is a brilliant man and heres a little bit about him. "James Hollender is a well seasoned Information Technology professional who has been familiar with Apple products since the days of the first Macintosh computer and has been involved with object oriented programming since the introduction of Java, culminating most recently writing apps in Objective-C & Xcode for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. His innovative ideas have resulted in numerous suggestion and other awards including a commendation from The President of the United States." Once again, thanks, James.....