De-Emphasize the Specific for Success

by Leigh on March 28, 2012

 

Doesn’t the title of this post sounds so counter-intuitive?  I’ve written before, and will espouse again, that specificity is crucial for goal-realization, however I cannot deny the wisdom in this snippet from Mark Sisson’s free eBook “Primal Blueprint Intro”:

“De-emphasize specific, results-oriented goals because of their potential to discourage – a la weight loss failure or “post marathon blues”.  Stay motivated by focusing on fun and release attachment to outcome.  Consistency = over-stress.  Vary routine to minimize stress and improve adaptive response by genes.  Missed workouts drive recovery, improvement and freshness.”

It’s so TRUE! For many people, success can feel like swinging from one vine of accomplishment to the next… you get the “high” of a “win” or success, but it never lasts long and soon you have the post-accomplishment blues as you search for the next race to run or promotion to score or widget to buy.

I must confess –  I have had problems with consistently doing anything my entire life.  From getting my oil changed every 3k miles to washing my face every night, it just doesn’t happen with any sort of predictability.  One week my house will be a mess and the next it’ll look like a shot out of Southern Living.  I can set alarms and write to-do lists, but it is against my nature to execute things “perfectly”-  Which is a big part of why I’m so fascinated with systems of personal organization, motivation, and how to strategize for life-success (aka- this site!).

I have viewed disorganization as succumbing to entropy – the idea that things devolve from an organized state to chaos, from high to low, from warm to cold. People who ingrain habits and are able to stick religiously to intervals of action & behavior have seemed like warriors to me- they can resist chaos and take their loosey-goosey existence, refined it, chop it, and bake it into a neat little cake of accomplishment.  However, despite my frustration with falling short of “perfect” at any given time- I’ve also always had an undercurrent of feeling that the non-specific habits I can’t seem to shake have been part of the secret to a lot of my happiness and accomplishments.

What Sisson is tapping into in his quote above is that de-emphasizing outcomes results in a different kind of success- not the success that you cross off of a to-do list, but a kind of “success chi” or “success flow”.

By not being attached to outcomes and instead focusing on fun & variety in life, relationships, exercise, food- anything!- you can remain in the success zone in a nice steady way, instead of suffering the manic highs and lows of a completely goal-regimented lifestyle.

I believe there is PLENTY of room in life for both – and that an optimal state of happiness probably looks something like this: a life that embraces fun and variety, with specific goals/mini-projects sprinkled within for good measure.

Moderation in all things.  Check out Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.  

 (Post image credit/source here)

{ 0 comments }

Do you know what the heck “dissensus” means?  Neither did I, but it is something I’ve experienced.

Dissensus is the opposite of consensus, and it’s discussed in this article by Heidi K. Gardner in regards to “expertise dissensus” and how it impacts teams. ” The higher the level of expertise dissensus, the greater the variety of opinions within the group about how much each team member knows.”

Gardner notes that her research indicates 3 reasons dissensus lowers team’s effectiveness:

  • People who rate their colleagues’ level of expertise or skill differently are more likely to disagree as to what roles each person should plan on the team
  • This leads to interpersonal friction when roles are assigned in ways that some people think are unfair or sub-optimal
  • Different estimations of colleagues’ expertise leads to coordination problems, as different members value and then take direction from different people within the group.

Quick take-aways from Gardner on how to combat dissensus-ness (say that three times fast):

  • Don’t assume people necessarily equate hierarchy with expertise
  • Conversely, it can’t hurt to assume that expertise dissensus always exists; keep it in the back of your mind so that you can address periodically and make sure everyone is on the same page and voicing their ideas appropriately.
  • For managers: Make your thinking clear- communicate your rationale for task assignments, project division within a team etc.
  • For employees: Speak up if you see someone else get an assignment you think you’re better suited for, and ask yourself why it wasn’t assigned to you- is your expertise not apparent? Maybe its a stretch goal for your colleague?

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Nice to finally SEE you

March 25, 2012

I’ve been MIA on here for a few days now, mostly because I was recovering from LASIK surgery which I had on Thursday, and then a bridal shower last night. I’ve worn glasses since I was 5 years old.  I tried contacts for a while in high school, but my eyes were always too dry [...]

Read the full article →

Why YouTube Algorithm Changes Benefit Everyone

March 21, 2012

Viewers’ total watch time is what matters in this algorithm change. You Tube is changing up it’s algorithm to bump videos that retain longer overall viewing (aka videos that have “stickiness” and compel people to keep watching… hence they have value in some way to the viewing public) to the top of the “recommended” channels heap. Previously, [...]

Read the full article →

Here’s a Vintage Photo of my Doughnut

March 21, 2012

This made me LOL: Share thisTweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious

Read the full article →

Infographic of the week: Statistics on the top 5 Social Media Sites

March 21, 2012

Very informative and interesting infographic from GraphicDesignBlog illustrating statistics of the top five social media sites: Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Google+, and StumbleUpon: Share thisTweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious

Read the full article →

MAD MEN IS COMING! A look inside Season 5 from AMCTV

March 20, 2012

Who will you be watching with this Sunday? Share thisTweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious

Read the full article →

Quotable Tuesday. Marketing Today vs. the Mad Men Era

March 20, 2012

“In those days (Mad Men era of 1060s) people expected to be advertised to. Now the average consumer doesn’t feel they have time to, doesn’t want to, doesn’t feel they should be advertised to.  So we have to earn their respect and their attention.” Source: “Droga on ‘Mad Men’: They Dressed Better, But Things are [...]

Read the full article →

Curb Communication to increase the Quality of your Work and Productivity

March 17, 2012

Prior to the myriad of ways we communicate today, people anxiously awaited  a handwritten  letter to update them on a friend’s “status”.  People also communicated through newspapers (I can’t help but think engagement and wedding announcements are a dying-out sentimentality since everyone now can’t wait to announce it Facebook). The letter was an art form, [...]

Read the full article →

How to Use Your New iPad to do Business

March 16, 2012

Technology has given us many tools that have improved our lives, and some that just make it more complicated.  I was watching Star Wars: A New Hope last night, and chuckling over how their “futuristic technology” was causing all sorts of problems for The Empire.  Lots of Luke & Princess Leia escaping by the skin [...]

Read the full article →