Life Made Simpler; Just Add Feeling, Thought, and Work!

By Jim Smith

 

All lives and visions are greater when aligned with the emotional, mental, and physical supports of the people who embrace them. Alignment of these forces is key to developing as either an individual or as an organization. Here is the way effective alignment is accomplished:

 

1.     Develop a Vision of what you want to do, or to be. Sometimes this strategic level of planning is called “spiritual” as this goal of life or business covers everything else. In business it is strategic planning. This is a very emotional realm and attempting to meet a strong need or desire.

 

2.     Determine what beliefs are necessary bring your vision into reality. This is a tactical level of planning also called the policy level. These beliefs or policies are also called values. In business these beliefs or values are called policies. They are in place to promote actions that get us closer to our vision and keep us there. This is mostly a mental step. The values and policies must make sense intuitively. Later on this is an area that can be adjusted if a value or policy works differently than we need it to.

 

3.     Act based on what you have decided to believe or value. This is the physical realm. In business it is called operations. In order to be sustainable, the actions must engage the mind and emotion and be carried out with skill.

 

Action is the Nexus where our efforts produce results. Where the “rubber meets the road”. I call it the neck of the hourglass of life. All the pressure from the sands of strategic goals and tactical policies pressure the operations or actions. The action is movement seen at the neck of the hourglass as the sand pours. The sand in the bottom of the hourglass represents the outcomes of the actions. The outcomes can be measured in many ways.

 

Notice that the process above is a three-step process that involves the spiritual vision of creation, the rational or mental aspect of beliefs, and values, and the physical action of our body. The process encompasses everything about our nature and rallies it into focus to produce the outcomes necessary for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a matter of fact, if we say that constitutional phrase backwards, the spiritual creative vision, the mental belief or value, and the physical action follow, one, two and three thusly: 1. The Vision is “pursing happiness”. 2. The belief is that “liberty” will get us there and it is national policy. 3. The physical action is living life freely so we are happy. The outcome is finding happiness.

 

To evaluate our outcomes we simply ask, “Am I getting what I wanted, or will I get what I wanted if I keep this action up or simply just wait?” Some look for immediate results, others look for progress, or future possibilities. Some measure only substantive tangible results like profit, others measure in good feelings, and most of us are a combination of these two factors, that is, of quality and quantity.

 

We may like the outcomes. When we do like the outcomes of this alignment of forces we have a word for it; that word is love. This is the state of harmony or fulfillment. If two people have lives that are individually aligned and line up with each other as well, they share, the do business, they conspire together, and they can choose to love if it goes that deep. If a company has outcomes that satisfy the stakeholders, they love it too!

 

If the outcomes are not to our liking, then it is simply time to step back and look at our vision or goal of life and see if we can, or need to, or should, make an adjustment. Next, look at your beliefs to determine if they support your vision or goal adequately. Finally, check your actions to see if they follow your beliefs and values. Are you doing everything? In the sequence correct? Is there a need for re-alignment? If so, adjust or start again. That’s easy. Finally, paw through your outcomes and look for hidden gems that can work for you. Look at what is different due to your actions. Don’t forget to look at what is different about you because of your actions too.

 

Go around again. As long as your standing on the Earth and it is going around the sun, you too can go around again. You’re getting wiser. You’re getting better.

 

These three questions are fundamental for life: What did I come to do? What did I do? Did I do what I came to do?

 

Enjoy