Disharmony begets disharmony…
I wish I was writing more, and then I feel guilty for not writing more…
So then, I want to write something really big, really meaningful, really worthy…
And, that becomes too large a task to fit into my currently full schedule, so I don’t write, and I wish I was writing more… and the cycle begins again.
So – in this moment, I try again. I need to do what I was doing before. I need to share simple and single thoughts, observations and experiences that capture the gist of HARMONY, so that you can better understand what this concept really means and how to apply it in your lives.
I was having a great conversation today with a man who is quickly becoming a dear friend, who shares a love for harmony. He was pushing me in all the right ways…
We were discussing whether HARMONY is a philosophy and mindset or whether it could be a teachable and repeatable methodology. Today, it’s a philosophy and mindset. I struggle with the concept of making it an “X Step process” because I feel like that somehow suggests that its simple. And, yet, if I can’t define it in terms of some type of applicable thought process it will be harder to adopt.
So, today HARMONY is a mindset and a philosophy. And, one that I need to apply more explicitly to my life and my business. I need to draw it on the board more, and ask the explicit question – what is the “absolute truth”? What do you really want? Is that a wish or a want? I will let you know how that goes. Here is what I do know, the level to which I have applied HARMONY to my life more explicitly to date, the more my peace of mind and success has grown. Going forward, I won’t use HARMONY as an “invisible hand” in how I operate, but rather explicitly as the methodology and value set to who I am and how I work.
If we thought to break down harmony into “Steps”… it would at the high level be 3.
STEP 1: DEFINE whether you are “wishing” or “wanting”? Then define what you really, really want! You need to know what you are trying to achieve at a high level, who you want to be, what you want to accomplish! The very important line between “wish” and “want” is not defined by the words alone. The line is defined by the mindset and the presumptions behind the statement.
OUTSIDE THE LINE “Wishing” are the statements that we define as “out of our control”, “at the mercy of external sources”, “goals that we wish we had, but aren’t really willing to work for”…
I wish I could lose weight.
I wish I made more money.
I wish I had hair.
I wish we had more sales.
I wish I won the lottery.
I wish upon a star.
INSIDE THE LINE “Wanting” are the statements that we are “committed to fighting for”, “within our control”, “accountable for”.
I want to make more money.
I want to be happier.
I want to grow sales.
I want to lose weight.
STEP 2: DEFINE the absolute truth! Ask questions of those around you to understand the different perceptions of what is going on. Consider all of the perspectives and aspects of the reality that you are facing. Accept that our individual reality is not the absolute reality, but our biased perspective of the absolute truth.
When facing a condition that is undesireable, that is “arguable”… For example, operations is causing projects to be late. Our managers don’t care enough. When things are “not” arguable, such as sales have gone up, or gone down, the truth is easy to understand. In the vast majority of the issues we deal with everyday, the truth is multidimensional and arguable… and that is where the danger appears.
Ways to discover the truth:
ASK QUESTIONS
GET DATA
CONSIDER PERSPECTIVES
UNDERSTAND CORE COMPETENCIES
UNDERSTAND THE RISKS
STEP 3: DEFINE the plan to get to the want – so that you can move to your reality toward it… The plan needs to constructed leveraging the strengths of and mindful of the issues/limitations with the reality.
STEP 4: This needs to be done over time and IN EVERY MOMENT… And the plan needs to be reconstructed as the want and the truth are better and better understood.
It is that simple and that hard.
I am convinced that HARMONY is the most powerful concept that I have ever known, and I realize that the concept is hard to visualize, embrace and apply. Multiple conflicting things can be true at the same time. I wont give up trying to find a way to share it more effectively.
It feels good to be writing again. Sorry that I took a break.
I am going to raise my bar. I am going to be more explicit. I am going to write shorter thougths, and do it more frequently.
When my friend asked, if I asked people in your company about harmony, what would they say? I am embarrassed to say, most would not know what you are talking about. If you asked them about how they feel about our company they would speak to the values of harmony, but not the words.
The only group possibly on earth that can speak to HARMONY as a philosophy and mindset…
The only group that can speak to the power of HARMONY – to examples, to successes, to failures, to realities of HARMONY is YOU!
You, by signing up for this conversation, are the ones that are evaluating it, considering it, and hopefully in some way embracing it and leveraging it for your success.
Time for me to be more courageous and speak more explicitly to what I believe…
I will keep growing… as best I can in every moment.
Life is good… Imagine the possibilities…
Thank you for believing in the power of HARMONY! Please share your thoughts…
See you soon!
And, to that special friend that is pushing me... holding me accountable to my own philosophy... THANK YOU! Keep the bar high - and I promise, I will keep jumping!
Yours in Harmony,
Nestor