Who’s the Architect of your Endeavors?

When anyone builds a house one of the first steps is to draw up some plans. The importance of these cannot be understated. It allows all the different trades to work along a common theme for the purpose of completing a house that is “in integrity”. It gives all the people involved a snapshot of the end result including how to get there. It shows up any difficulties that may arise (if you can draw it in 2D you will be able to build it in 3D)

There are other reasons to have a plan drawn up;

It enables things like prices to be sorted out,
Clarifies the type of materials that will be used,
Gives a guide to which steps should be taken at specific times,
A plan also alleviates any disagreements that may arise,

The great thing about a plan is that you can change it before the actual building takes place or during if the need arises. It’s a great check that the changes will fit with the overall concept.

Now I can just about hear you all saying, “OK, but what does this have to do with me?”

Well why is it that we would draw a plan of a house and we don’t make any effort to draw up a plan of our lives. Yeah, I know, it would be more interesting to write two A4 pages about the inside of a ping pong ball… There are plenty of reasons and plenty of questions like…

Number one would be… “What good would it do?”

Well let’s have a look

A plan can give you a set of steps to undertake. It means you don’t get lost ‘half way through’. It also clarifies how you are going to do it, how it will work and what you will end up with.

Another thought about this is… what harm can it do?… A plan of action sets certain steps into being and you will be surprised at the results that can occur from putting pen to paper… and then putting that plan into action.

There’s a quote that explains one of the benefits

“If you aim for the moon and miss, you are still going to be among the stars”

Communication

Another interesting subject is the art of communication. A perfect communication is one that is totally complete as far as both the recipient and the cause point are concerned. Of course, we can all think of times where we had a incomplete communication cycle… just think of times where you were hung up on while on the phone or an argument you have had!

You see, you can think of specific times very easily and that is what an incomplete cycle of communication does…. It sits with you for what seems eternity. In the course of a normal day, it is the incompletes that affect you the most… you can recall them almost instantly. They take up attention points, they cause distress.

Even years later you can recall a time that your Mother blamed you for something that was (or wasn’t) true. Now at the expense of the Mothers around the world, they are the best at catching us out. That’s why we can recall so many conversations we have had with our mothers. (I hope I aren’t letting the cat out of the bag here as to my behavior as a youth)

It’s an interesting point though. Think of all the times you ‘nearly’ got caught. The questions you were asked and the stories you managed to come up with. These are examples of communication that weren’t actually complete for you. That is why they hang there in time; ready to be remembered as soon as someone like me mentions them in general terms… you can remember the exact details.

This also applies in emails and mobile phone text messages. Just think of the times that you didn’t understand a message… Notice that you can remember the situation. That’s how an incomplete cycle works. No wonder as we get older we feel less lively!

Sport

Sport is a great metaphor for life itself. A team sport is an example of what happens in everyday life only it is in the confines of a particular field on some sports ground or some defined boundaries, somewhere here on earth. You can sit back and enjoy the skills and spills of an encounter that shows daring, courage, motivation and intrigue, all within the confines of a particular field and rule base.

Sort of what happens in life everyday except that life is on a bigger playing ground. We tend to look at life as serious whereas we look at sport as a pastime, a means of relaxing or an enjoyable activity. If we could face life as in a sport,  in this manner, would we see it as a different proposition to how we are approaching it now???

The fact is that our own approach to any subject determines the amount of enjoyment we will get out of it.

Have a great week

Cheers…. Bill

Bill is a Business Coach. Working with Individuals, Businesses and Organisations to create better environments and to develop and enhance business ”potential”, into successful business practices.

Sydney, Australia

Ph +61 413 949 521

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