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Founded in 2002, the blog here continues to be a space of daily conversation about the science of mind and its implications and applications
As much as plans are about getting it right, paths are not about getting it right. There is no getting anything right, especially when the "it" is our sets of assumptions, speculations, predictions, hunches, guesses, and opinions. There are no certainties to get.
Paths are about clarity, specifically clarity about our knowns and interests. And it's about iterations of clarity since every step along a path reveals new knowns and interests.
The quintessential frame for identifying parallel pathways is: How many different ways can we make this happen? This provokes and evokes very to slightly varied paths of questions and actions. It also makes possible the merging and grafting of pathways.
Grafting or graftage[1] is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion (/ˈsaɪən/) while the lower part is called the rootstock. The success of this joining requires that the vascular tissue grow together and such joining is called inosculation. The technique is most commonly used in asexual propagation of commercially grown plants for the horticultural and agricultural trades. In most cases, one plant is selected for its roots and this is called the stock or rootstock. The other plant is selected for its stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits and is called the scion or cion.[1] The scion contains the desired genes to be duplicated in future production by the stock/scion plant. Wikipedia
Whether we ultimately move along a single path or multiple paths, our paths become more interesting when we create multiple, parallel paths in the direction of any interest. Each path makes possible a different lens, a different perspective revealing different knowns, interests, and path options. What's also true is that our speculations about path superiority over other path options is just that, an assumption that we will turn into another rich question.
Momentum is the rhythm of efforts along paths in the direction of interests. Rhythm is measured in beats of time.
Let's say we want to build our cooking repertoire in a specific style of cooking, like any ethnic cuisine. We decide how on the frequencies and durations of our efforts, that include research, videos, and experiments. We decide on an hour a week. We can change our momentum at any time, according to our experience and the rest of what's going on for us.
No deadlines need to be set. We simply adjust momentum for differently timed results. Again, without goals and deadlines, we are always feeling like we're succeeding.
What if we went about making new, good things happen in a way that made failing impossible? What could that look like?
It would take two things: being realistic and focusing on progress. Working from questions makes us realistic. Focusing on progress gives meaning to every step along the way. When success is progress in the direction of an interest, we are continuously succeeding. Zero failure.
If we already have goals and plans we're working from, we can easily translate goals into interests and plans into paths.
The questions are: What interests do we have related to these goals? and What multiple paths could we create related to these plans?
No amount of confidence or cockiness proves that any single version of a path is the only version, or even the only good version possible. There is literally no limits to the variety of possible paths toward anything that interests us when it comes to core life domains like health, wealth, wisdom, connection, resilience, creativity, and joy. With even moderately cultivated imagination, we can invent and improvise multiple right ways to make just about anything happen. And any considered and created paths are richer when we consider and create multiples.
Sometimes making things happen is about creating the potential for being prepared for anticipated or desired opportunities. These opportunities are uniquely unpredictable. And the process of preparation can have intrinsic value even without the opportunity manifesting.
Making things happen is a function of momentum. When good things happen on time it's because of good momentum.
Setting timelines, startlines, and deadlines have value when we use them to create momentum. They aren't necessary for momentum. We can just as easily establish or improvise the kind of momentum that would optimally make things happen.
Is it possible that questions can give sustainable and agile shape to any path? Actually, yes. New questions reveal new actions that make path progress and evolution possible.
Feeling a sense of stress and overwhelm is a function of how we respond to unpredictability. If we lack clarity on how to respond, we get stressed and overwhelmed. We miss opportunities to create what we're most interested in creating.
It's a good working principle that the quality of outcomes reflect the quality of how we organize for them. How we organize is how we respond to the unpredictable in any situation.
It's interesting to talk about learning paths: paths that learn. Paths develop, grow and evolve with new questions and actions.
These are in contrast to learning disabled paths that are based on the assumptions of opinions, concerns, and speculations.
Because we detail a single path in the direction of any interest, it doesn't guarantee it is or could be the best possible path. When we give up the assumption that we could know what the best path could be, we open up to multiple path perspectives, making richer and better variations possible.
We take a more creative approach to any interest when we move forward along multiple paths. Reality is, with little imagination, we can think of multiple ways to make anything happen. Each path inspires more life in others. Each evokes and provokes new questions that make the best path possible.
Shaping and adapting our path is all about action taking. With a handful of basic verbs, we can create paths that are realistic and responsive: Research, decide, start, progress, complete.
Shaping and adapting our path is all about action taking. With a handful of basic verbs, we can create paths that are realistic and responsive: Research, decide, start, progress, complete.
Life is often about the new. We have new projects and problems, opportunities and questions, relationships and drama, transitions and adventures. Each is a dynamic space of unpredictability. Sure, we have the assumptions of opinions and speculations, hopes and worries. When it comes to anything new, the best possible path is a path of clarity. Clarity is the opposite of assumption.
With anything new, four kinds of clarity make the best possible path possible.
Clarity about our interests, what we are interested in discovering or creating
Clarity about our knowns, what we know for sure relative to our interests
Clarity about our unknowns, what we want to research, confirm and decide
Clarity about our path, how we will act on our interests, knowns and unknowns.
When we get started on any path, we begin where we are. We decide how long our path will be in time. We can decide on durations of two weeks, a month, two months, two quarters or beyond.
We decide what we will do, and in what sequence, based on our interests, knowns, and unknowns for the path's duration. As we move along the path, we will become progressively more clear on the character and duration of a next path. This becomes more possible when we do at least two "because" after each interest.
Goals and plans look good on paper. They seem reasonable, as long as we stay largely unconscious of what, along the way, could be uncertain or unpredictable. Goals and plans are typically based on all manner of assumptions. Their validity is based on the assumption that reality cares what we assume. Goal and plan failure is essentially reality's failure to stay compliant and loyal to them.
The problem is that reality has no problem being uncertain and unpredictable. It's prime constant is change. It likes to reward the mindful who consider change as an asset, and to punish the mindless who consider change a constraint.
This is why we instead organize life's chaos with fluid interests and responsive paths.
