Are You Self-Sabotaging Your Intentions?
Aloha Family,
Welcome to the final segment of our three-part series on this month's mantra: Do Less Well.
In part one, we explored how attention, our most valuable resource, is often hijacked by digital connection and extreme capitalism, despite being the cornerstone of focus and presence.
Part two delved into the art of prioritization, emphasizing the strategic allocation of our limited attention to cultivate the life, ventures, and relationships we aspire to create.
Now, in this concluding part, we embark on the real journey: consistent, aligned action to embody our intentions in the highest way.
It's relatively easy to prioritize once you decide to do so and understand your values. However, maintaining consistency in following through with these priorities is a greater challenge.
Before we get into it, want to give a special shout out to the community members who are currently in the midst of their Yin Yang Livin journey - it’s super inspiring to hear the impact, keep rockin' it!
🥛 The Water Pitcher Analogy: Embracing a Fail-Fast Model
Imagine this: You have a 10oz pitcher of water, refilled each year, and ten empty 10oz glasses.
- Option One: Spread the water evenly over a decade, filling each glass bit by bit.
- Option Two: Use the 'do less well' mantra. Fill one glass fully, then move to the next, achieving noticeable results quicker.
This method not only brings immediate impact but also aligns with positive psychology principles. It fosters a rewarding environment, boosting motivation and learning. In innovation, this is crucial.
Embrace a Fail-Fast Model:
- Learn quickly from each action. Consistency in learning and iteration is the key.
- Identify flaws early to avoid prolonged efforts with minimal impact.
- Don't wait a decade to discover your work doesn’t resonate. Act now, adapt, and succeed sooner.
🎯 For the Focused Mind, Everything is Traction or Distraction
In our current reality, we’re bombarded with the world’s information, a stark contrast to our ancestors who were oblivious to happenings outside of their immediate environment (how nice).
Once priorities are set, everything becomes either a traction or a distraction.
We must learn when to deviate, delegate, automate, or create, aiming to leverage our efforts for the sweet spot of efficiency and enjoyment.
Doing less well transcends prioritization. True discipline, motivation, and accountability lie in the daily choices we make to execute our prioritized tasks.
It's crucial to revisit our objectives and intentions, ensuring they stem from our own desires and calling, not societal expectations or external pressures (watch out: this is a trap).
🤕 Goals without Process is Self-Harm
Goals are the masculine; process is the feminine - we need both to truly walk our path.
Goals without process is a form of self-sabotage, and it’s a rampant imbalance I witness all around.
While objectives provide direction, being process-driven, as opposed to solely goal-driven, allows us to remain present and continually improve our systems and enjoyment of the process.
Goals provide fleeting satisfaction; processes offer lasting fulfillment.
There’s no magic formula other than taking action, step by step, absorbing wisdom along the way.
🛸 Creator Hacks for Aligned Action
Now let’s get to the actionable parts here, here are a few simple tools that you can implement to facilitate aligned action:
🧘🏽♂️ How might we better organize our prioritized tasks for effective execution?
- Implement a Task Management System: We use Notion and ClickUp to manage tasks related to our goals, establishing a single source of truth for task execution. I've worked with a lot of tools - for me, these are the best of the best. I've run two companies almost entirely using Notion.
🧘🏽♂️ How might we integrate the right planning cadence into our routine?
- Implement Planning Periods: At Groove with Gaia, we hold monthly and weekly planning sessions to refine our weekly tasks and set monthly objectives, allowing flexibility in our processes. You can also consider quarterly or annual - whatever vibes with you.
🧘🏽♂️ How might we avoid making the same mistakes repeatedly?
- Create a Retrospective Practice: Post-project or goal completion, we reflect on the journey to enhance our effectiveness and quality of life. After each project, take time to analyze what worked, what didn’t, and potential improvements. We use frameworks like Start-Stop-Continue or Roses, Thorns, and Buds for this.
🧘🏽♂️ How might we ensure that our creations resonate in a noisy market?
- Center Feedback and Quality Assurance: Seeking feedback and additional perspectives is invaluable for iteration and accountability (but only from people whose opinions are relevant). This creates accountability. As a two-person team, Cam and I incorporate quality assurance (QA) into our workflow, ensuring a second pair of eyes on our work for honesty and integrity.
🎨 The Exception: Art vs. Design
In the landscape of creation, Design and Art embody a distinct energy that can work alone or in combination.
Design (masculine) is inherently goal-oriented. Whether launching a product, growing an audience, or building a dream company, Design revolves around achieving specific objectives. The processes we build and refine while designing are tools to reach these ends efficiently and effectively.
Art (feminine), however, dances to a different tune. Art is the purest form of expression from the creator, untethered by the constraints of goals or audience reception. It's not driven by the same principles of efficiency or quick adaptation that characterize Design. Instead, Art is an end in itself, a means of expression that values the act of creation over the outcome.
While our journey this month has focused on the power of prioritization and process in achieving our goals, let's not forget the beauty and importance of pure, unadulterated expression found in Art. Both realms, with their unique approaches, contribute significantly to the tapestry of human creativity and achievement.
🌅 Transitioning to New Horizons
This mantra, a beacon in a world crowded with distractions, has guided us to prioritize effectively and act with intention - ensuring that we aren’t walking around with scattered, leaky energy, failing to uphold commitments made to ourselves and our creations.
With all of this, remember to have fun and enjoy the process.
As we wrap up this month’s focus, it’s time to anticipate the journey ahead.
Next month, we dive into a universal law that shapes everything from the atomic to the cosmic scale. This principle, recognized by ancient wisdom schools, promises profound insights into our creative processes.
Expect to find the next piece of this puzzle in your inbox on February 14th, as we continue to deepen into the portal of effective creation and mindful living.
Thank you for being a part of this community.
Lastly, if you've made it this far - we deeply appreciate any feedback you may have on this newsletter (it will take you just 1 minute), to help us continue to make it better for you.
Blessings
Elijah 🌴
