The Crooked Path of Progress
Seldom, if ever, is this a straight line or a smooth upward curve. More often peaks and valleys, ground taken and lost. Around the things that matter to me, how do I set myself up for success (or failure)?
Here are some thoughts. Awareness, anticipation and alignment are foundational. Am I clear about what I want to accomplish and why? Can I connect it to a higher purpose? Even better. What can I notice and predict about how the future is likely to go? Given that, what choices do I make to better the odds of success? Remove obstacles. Create enablers. In other words, align my world to further my intentions. Can I organize this into reliable processes, structures and practices? Do I create the context to learn along the way, adapt, make adjustments and elevate my game? For sure, I am still a work in progress.
In working with my clients, we always get to the point of building towards that (more) reliable future, even amidst the uncertainty and ambiguity of their world. I suggest three perspectives worth taking and designing around, given what they care about.
First, what are the critical set of (new) personal practices to put in place to support progress, learning and well-being? You get better as they get more practiced and routinized. These are practices of mind as well as of body. For example, take an experimentation mindset about what you engage in, with primary focus on what you learn. Reframe old ways of thinking to empower rather than criticize. In addition, assess and adjust your practices of nutrition, hydration, sleep, exercise and stress management to enable energy management, health and resilience. Resources: Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps, Upgrade, The Power of Full Engagement, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Micro-resilience, The Art of Possibility, Infinite Games
Second, in what ways can you adjust your physical environment to align with your goal-directed efforts? This might include setting alarms for yourself (post-it notes on computer screens, random or scheduled alarms on your smart watch) as reminders to do relevant tasks, removing items (like candy) that are misaligned with your commitments, providing items (like laying out your workout clothes) to enable your practices, and even redesigning the flow of activities to allow for better (taking control of your calendar to allow for bio breaks and meals). Resources: Triggers, The Power of Habit,
Third, in what ways can you adjust your social environment to align with your goals, values and priorities? What do you need to be taken care of socially and emotionally? What new choices can you make? New conversations to have? For example, build in sufficient quality time with family, negotiating for workability with family members. Have conversations to recalibrate and realign working relationships and expectations. Resources: Give and Take, Thrive, Critical Conversations, Getting to Yes, Collaborating with the Enemy, Rising Strong
At every point, practice, especially mindful practice, makes better. Taking a long-view and continuous improvement perspective helps, even as you stay present to what’s happening in this moment. Staying connected matters – to your values and cares, higher purpose, strengths, curiosity, gratitude, love and joy. As long as we breathe, the journey continues. Create your islands of sanity. You are not alone. Find your traveling companions.
#designyourlife #selfleadership #resilience