What's That About?
By Les Mottosky
The idea of 'having direction in life' is cliché. It's an accessible metaphor. It even feels more real than representative.
We think of direction as a measurement for what we want to accomplish in terms of relationships, career and life. It's that 'up and to the right' trajectory that has us feel on course.
And if we're off-track?
The one direction that determines outward progress, requires a 180. To adjust course, respond to changes and adapt in a shifting world, we have to go in. Constantly.
The framework is the same as a basic modern business strategy. (As important as it is for a business to know the market and the competition, it's even more important to take the next step to meaningfully differentiate itself.)
Think of this through the concept of In&In&In:
In #1) Intention
Business/Brand vision statements are intentions. But they aren't just for companies. An intention is the crafting of a vivid, idealized outcome for the world as a result of doing our unique, energized thing. We get there with questions like: If everything went as right as possible, what would the future look like? What dent would be left in the Universe because you were able to take advantage of every opportunity that came your way? How did you help the world move in the direction God/Nature/destiny wants it to go? What message of love, beauty, humanitarianism would you like to survive beyond your last breath? How did you matter – what meaning are you creating – to those you crossed paths with?
Those questions help to craft the idealized part. The vivid comes from clarity. And in this case clarity comes from being simple and succinct. No needs to tap your inner Shakespeare. Just be clear.
Here's the simplest prompt of all: Describe the world people want to live in.
As an example, this is the outdoor gear company, Patagonia's Vision Statement:
"We're in business to save our home planet."
Zero fluff and straight to the point.
In #2) Insight
This is actually two steps: capacity and understanding. It's the work before the work – the pursuit of insight. This is the digging and grinding and research and curiosity and data-collecting that builds capacity and patterns. This creates the ability to gain a deep understanding of what it's going to take to become the person who can attempt to achieve the vision. (A great vision should be un-achievable – always our of reach. That's what maintains the drive while also creating value for the world.). Depending on the intention driving it, this could take weeks, months or decades.
Built into the word insight is a critical step to produce an insight. The word sigh. Take a sigh. Take many sighs. In the context of a career this looks like weekends, vacations and holidays with no connection to the work. These breaks create the mental space for the brain to synthesize what we've fed it.
All that information and pattern gathering, skill building and knowledge acquisition needs to ferment. And like a well-crafted kombucha, it'll create bubbles that want to pop-up. In the form of ideas, intuitions, hunches and – if we're lucky – a eureka moment.
So that's insight: search, gather, absorb, chill and pop.
The insightful ideas will come. If we follow the steps.
In #3) Innovation
Innovation is the idea put into action. Not a successful idea. Not a home-run. Not a sure thing. It's a process of taming the unknown.
Almost by definition innovation implies the strong potential for failure. Not a probability – obviously – but calculated risk is absolutely the game we're playing when we're truly innovating.
There is no recipe for success, but if our idea is unique, aligns with what we want to do in the world – and the understanding of the market need is accurate – we've given ourselves a shot.
Once it's out in the world, we have to be listening to the response to the idea. Externally, for sure, but internally also. The team, advisors or friends and family can often provide observations leading to adjustments to be made.
We have to be listening to ourselves too. This is another "In": intuition. It's our human super-power – and a non-negotiable. We should always be tapped in to our inner guidance system, but even more when the stakes are high.
This is In&In&In; a simple process for guiding any vision into the world. Personal or commercial. It doesn't guarantee success, but it does ensure learning and growth.
How? Because that's the goal of the system.
As author of Atomic Habits, James Clear so wisely surmised: "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
Maybe 'direction in life' isn't the important thing?
Are we better served by developing a process for living?
TAGS: #What's That About?
Les Mottosky
Writes to expand the capacity of the human behind the career.
Adaptation Strategist // I help organizations turn creativity into their competitive advantage by aligning leadership, culture and strategy to unlock adaptive innovations.
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