The six steps for consistent progress:
Release, Reflect, Envision, Act, Evaluate, Reconcile.
Step One: Release
If we want to map a course, follow that course, or reach a destination, we need to start from a clean slate. If our “map” is covered with scribbles and notes from every trip we’ve ever taken, we won’t be able to confidently chart our course for the next leg of the journey. We need to step back, breath deep, and let go of everything that would cloud our thinking, distract our attention, or sap our energy.
Even the most determined “Type A” personality has to admit sooner or later that much of life is outside his or her control. If we want to make progress consistently, we have to let go of other people, places, and things, and focus our attention on ourselves.
Making consistent progress requires we release our past experiences and our future dreams. One weighs us down too much, and the other distracts us from the weighty responsibility of taking action.
If we are going to move forward in life, we can’t afford to carry a lot of baggage from one stop to the next. We have to learn to let go. Those people who try to tally every experience, every encounter, every perceived success or failure, every imagined slight or offense, blessing or curse awaken one day to the reality that they have not progressed by any meaningful measurement from the day they first started keeping score. Life is a long haul and we can only carry a few precious memories in all their detail, a few valued relationships through all their ups and downs, and even fewer mementos of our experiences or accomplishments.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we won’t get very far in life if we are looking so far down the road that we are forever tripping over the tiniest obstacles. In fact, we won’t get anywhere if we get so caught up in where we want to be that we stop moving altogether while we daydream about our imagined future. It’s good to take stock, site our goals, and make plans. We just have to remember to release our desired outcomes and focus our attention on the next indicated step. We never really get anywhere until we bring our gaze down from the clouds and put one foot in front of the other. We have to release our imagined future before we can progress toward our actual future.
I don’t need to be perfect, and I really wouldn’t want to be. Life’s greatest lessons often come through mistakes. Instead of pursuing perfection, I will produce progress. Every journey begins with a step, and as my first step, I will let go of everything unhelpful to my determination to live a purposeful existence by developing my innate gifts and talents and offering them in service to others.
Step Two: Reflect
Reflecting is little more than thinking about what you’re thinking or paying attention to what has your attention. It is consciously stepping into the cockpit of life and turning off the autopilot by which we navigate most of the time. When we reflect on our place in life and our progress toward fulfilling our purpose and mission, we’re not doing an inventory of past actions or an assessment of future plans; that comes later (after we have envisioned our future and taken action.) Reflecting is more about examining our underlying beliefs and the presuppositions which shape our beliefs and are, in turn, shaped by our beliefs.
In the 1994 film, The Santa Claus, an elf tells the newly appointed Santa, “Seeing is not believing; believing is seeing!” She goes on to talk about the myth of the North Pole and the power of that myth in the lives of children. She makes the point that our beliefs shape the way we see the world and the orientation we take to life.
The hard thing about reflecting on our presuppositions is that they are, by definition, assumptions we have never questioned; they literally precede conscious reflection. Calling such assumptions into consciousness is not easy or comfortable. They form the foundation of the way we see ourselves and our world and questioning them can feel like one’s foundation is being dismantled. We often need the help of other people to identify our presuppositions. If we grew up in a very pessimistic household, we may have adopted a pessimistic outlook we will never even recognize unless someone else points it out.
Few of us stepped out of the house this morning and questioned whether or not the barometric pressure was within the relatively narrow range required for our continued existence. We didn’t worry about being crushed or exploding as we left our house. Most of us assume that the earth’s barometric pressure will stay within the narrow range we require. This is a presupposition.
Reflection is the process of reexamining the “lay of the land.” As we turn off the autopilot and compare our internal maps with our actual experience, we recognize areas where our maps have become outdated or inaccurate. The more of our presuppositions we call into conscious awareness, the more our awareness and our choices expand.
When we examine the beliefs that form the lenses through which we see the world, we reorient ourselves to life. If, for example, we have always avoided risk out of an inflated sense of threat, we would limit ourselves to choices perceived as low or no-risk. If we then reexamined our perceptions of the world and our strategy of risk avoidance and determined that the world was not as dangerous as we once perceived, a variety of new choices would open before us. Reflection allows us to regularly examine our assumptions and redraw our internal maps, reprogram our internal GPS, and open ourselves to the many new choices our increased awareness makes available.
I will take time today, and everyday, to step back from my routines and regimens and see the world with fresh eyes. I will reflect on the way my experience, others’ experience, and the collective wisdom of humanity challenges my beliefs, and I will open my awareness to new perceptions. I will open myself to personal growth so I can progress in every aspect of life.
Step Three: Envision
If we start out on any journey without a clear understanding of where we are headed and how we are going to get there, our energy becomes focused on the urgent rather than the important. Without a vision, we cannot distinguish between those actions that further our goals and those that only address immediate concerns. Without a vision, we fail to make progress.
A cohesive vision is one that takes into account context, motivation, and means. It brings together resources, both internal and external, to move us from where we are to where we want to go.
Our context refers not only to where we are now, but where we intend to go. It includes our constellation of relationships, the time and place in which we live, and the circumstances surrounding us. When we take into account all these factors, we are better able to develop a clear vision for moving from the alpha point (where we are now) to our omega point (where we want to go.)
When we strive to develop a vision, we must start by imagining our omega point as fully realized. When we reach our destination, who will surround us (our constellation of relationships,) how much time has passed and where are we (time and place,) and what surrounds us (our circumstances.) The more details we can imagine, the better we will be able to recognize steps we must take to move from our alpha point to our omega point.
The second question we need to ask is, “why do we want to reach our omega point?” If we aren’t clear on the “why” we will never move decisively to the “how.” We need to understand and embrace our motivation. Whether we want greater financial security, spiritual fulfillment, or emotional stability, we need to ground our intentions in our deepest longings. We need to be willing to set aside all other goals to fulfill our vision.
We move from alpha point to omega point by the careful use of our resources–intellectual, spiritual, material, emotional, and relational. We assess what resources are needed to move from our starting point to our destination. If we already have the needed resources, great! If we don’t, we determine how we can gain the needed resources–through education, discipline, industry, personal development, and relationship building.
Moving toward our omega point requires that we think and speak of our envisioned future as if it were present reality. If we want to be working in a particular field, earning a particular compensation, we reinforce that vision by stating, “I am a successful [blank] earning [X amount of money.]“ If we want to be someone who controls his or her emotional expressions, we state, “I handle all experiences calmly and choose my response to every encounter.” We progress by envisioning the positive change we seek.
I will take time today and everyday to reinforce my vision for life. I will use my extraordinary imagination to envision life as I want it to be, and I will always focus on being the person I want to be. I have no control over other people, places, and things, but I choose everyday who I am going to be.
Step Four: Act
The biggest difference between those who realize their dreams and those who don’t is this: successful people take action! We can have an incredible vision for the future and live our entire lives without experiencing the fulfillment of even the smallest aspect of our vision if we don’t act.
If a vision is worth embracing, it should be broad in scope and impact. Such a vision is not going to be realized in one fell swoop. We slowly move from where we are (our alpha point) to where we want to be (our omega point.) Each small step is revealed through a process commonly called “crystallization.” When we take an all-encompassing vision and break it down into manageable goals, then identify tasks that need to be accomplished to reach each goal, the necessary steps for consistent progress become “crystal clear.”
Most of us don’t take consistent action to realize our goals, because we don’t know where to start. When we have broken down our vision to measurable goals, then broken those goals down to ordered tasks, the next indicated step is easy to identify. We need only develop a system, electronic or document-based, for ordering tasks and tracking their accomplishment. In a glance, we can identify the next step we need take to progress toward the fulfillment of our vision, though most of those steps, when viewed separately, may seem unrelated to our larger goals, let alone our overall vision. We can trust that accomplishing the task at hand moves us closer to our vision’s fulfillment because the task was crystallized from our vision in the first place.
Don’t have a vision? Go back to Step Three: Envision. Flesh out your vision now! If you don’t know where you’re going, it really doesn’t matter what steps you take today.
If you have envisioned your desired destination, you have reached the point where you need to work backwards and crystallize goals from that vision. There are many resources for goal-setting on the internet and in every book store. It is not nearly as important what goal-setting process you engage, only that you act now and set goals!
If you’ve set goals, break those goals down into manageable tasks now. First, identify those tasks upon which other tasks are dependent. These are your top priority tasks, since the other tasks cannot be addressed until these are accomplished. Then when no dependencies remain, order the remaining tasks by relative importance. Schedule the most important task first, then work your way down the list to the least important. Don’t create tasks that require multiple or convoluted steps. Every task should be possible to accomplish in one place over one period of time.
“Build a dog house,” is not a task, it is a goal, consisting of many smaller tasks, such as, “choose doghouse design,” “buy doghouse supplies,” and “construct doghouse.” Having a vision is great–it means you know your destination. Having goals is even better–they mean you know the route to where you want to go. Having clear, concise tasks related to your goals is best–they assure you will travel your route by giving you actionable steps you can take everyday.
Today, I will take action! If I am uncertain where I am going, I will develop a vision for my life. If I have a clear vision, I will set measureable goals whose accomplishment will, when taken together, fulfill my vision. If I have set goals about which I am passionate and committed, I will break my goals down into actionable tasks. Each day, I will re-evaluate and prioritize my tasks, so I can consistently progress toward fulfilling my vision by taking the next indicated step.
