Tag Archives: actions

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Answers and actions

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Having answers is good.  Knowing how to use them is better.  Actually acting on them is best.  In essence, being able to do stuff is not as valuable as doing it.

Accomplishments require action.  Providing action instructions, in and of itself, does not necessarily get things done.  Getting results requires more than just identifying what is needed.

Buy-In

Even when you know what outcomes are expected, achieving them requires more than just insight.   Whether you are undertaking the action on your own, with or through others, to be successful everyone needs to buy-in (including you).

Without explicit approval or agreement to the course of action proposed (i.e., the answer) those involved will not feel ownership for the solution and so probably do not perform to their maximum potential.

Building acceptance and ownership to an approach requires more than being told or even knowing the right answer.  Everyone has got to believe it is the best way.

Doing it Right

Just acting on the right answer, that is getting stuff done is only part of the equation.  The approach needs to result in the defined goal.  That is a success means you achieved what you set out to achieve.

Knowing the right answer includes understanding clearly what the aim or purpose of the answer is.  To say you understand and know how to proceed without a clear vision of what success looks like probably translates to you not really knowing the answer.

The approach to achieving the goal, answering the question or problem is not right unless it works.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Motivation

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Do we just act or behave in a particular way for no reason?  It is unlikely, in most if not all cases and underlying drive can be identified for our actions.

Without motivation would we do nothing or are we always doing something?  Arguably, yes we are also doing something, whether sleeping or remaining motionless, but awake, your mind is active to some extent although your focus may be vague.

The motivation that matters is related to outcomes that increase your happiness, joy, pleasure.

Focus on Results

Doing stuff leads to outcomes.  Sometimes these may be soft or subjective.  Or, they can be definitive and measurable very objectively.

For example, after being asleep, you might say the outcome was you felt rested or were no longer tired (or maybe you are still tired).  Alternately your activity could be to eat food. Either you ate or you did not.

Typically the more rewarding the outcome, the greater the motivation required to achieve it.  The greater the reward the less motivation needed.

Motivation Sources

Individual levels of motivation largely arise from 3 main drivers

  • Personal initiative – This is your own internal bar and in this context refers to motivation for actions  which the other factors listed below are not relevant.   For you to take action the your personal values and desires must exceed your personal bar, the decision lies with you.
  • External Authority – In this case someone in authority (e.g., your boss, police, leader) directs you to take action.  Not doing so has consequences and these are motivating factors.
  • Need – this is intended to refer to things you need to do or consequences are dire.  For example – eating.  Although you can be motivated to eat via personal initiative even when you don’t need to, there are circumstances if you don’t eat, you will die.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Behave Accordingly

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As I have noted in many past posts how  you and others view you is determined by your behaviour.  How your behaviour is interpreted varies based on perspective.

Basically though , you are to everyone, including yourself, composed of what you do.  Common and repeated go to behaviours form the essence of your personality.

Managing your Behaviour

You always have the opportunity to act in a way that is appropriate to the particular circumstances. Unfortunately it is not always crystal clear what constitutes appropriate, and even when it is that behaviour might not resonate with you.

The consequences of your behaviour might not be apparent until part way through what you have undertaken to do.

This makes it wise to constantly be aware of the results of your actions so you can modify them accordingly is search of better results, if desired.

For Example

If you are seeking to build trust, but show up late for meeting, frequently, this typically is not a good way to build trust, you might want change your behaviour accordingly.

The change you make could be to start repeatedly showing up early for meeting to offset the previous perception and rebuild peoples confidence you can meet their expectations.

Focus on your Goal

Your personal goal is often the circumstance to focus on when determining the appropriate behaviour.  This might mean your go to or personality based behaviours need to be overridden.

Any behaviour is possible, with concious thoughts and a little effort.  Acting accordingly, focused on your objective, e.g., building trust, requires you pick the best actions not  always those you might be most comfortable with.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Submit and Hope

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When planning a change or presented with a change to consider most people follow a simple three step approach.  This can be a conscious or unconcious activity.

First, analyze, then based on the analysis act and finally judge the results, ie, succeed or fail and repeat.  The choices to act can range from wait and see, submit and hope for the best or to proactively influence the change.

For Example

You are thinking of making a lifestyle change from a single to married status.  Whether conciously or without great direct thought the impacts of the change  are considered ( this happens whether you realize it or not).

You may actively list pros and cons or just let emotions and intuition drive your action.  Or a combination of conscious and unconscious thoughts may lead to the decision.  You will get married, or not and you will be happy with the decision or not.

Waiting, Hoping

As you move through life you may encounter change initiated externally to you .  That is, a change made for you, not by you .  In these cases, the process, analize, act, check results is the same.

When the change appears positive or exciting, something that creates an opportunity for you you may decide to wait before acting or submitting your thoughts and then hoping for the best.

This does raise an interesting question about the correct balance between creating your own destiny (being proactive and working to control the results) versus waiting/hoping for the best (like winning the lottery)

People do win lotteries but my recommendation is always take some proactive steps to influence the results ( to some extent).  After all, it is your destiny.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Living in the Past

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I read a quote from former US president Bill Clinton today.  “When our memories outweigh our dreams, we have grown old.”  The quotes juxtaposition between memories and dreams intrigued me.

You could intrepret this statement to imply dreams are to live for while memories are the past.  These reminisces  can provide pleasure, but also pain, they don’t lead to action, it is already done.

Weighting Dreams and Actions

On the whole, I very much enjoy remembering my past.  My life has been a happy one and so far my personal goal of attaining maximum happiness and pleasure has been achieved.

Interestingly this was accomplished not by dreaming, but rather by taking action. Of course,  dreams can lead to action, and I am pretty sure that was the underlying assumption Mr. Clinton had when he made the quote.

Without some attempt at realization, dreams are just empty thoughts.  Memories may not move you forward but they derive from dreams that were realized.

Doing Less

If memories require dreams to be acted on, than more dreams than memories implies less action, which is often considered to be an attribute of getting old.

Although, as the population ages this becomes less and less true.  The number of instances of active oldsters (e.g., people over 100 running marathons, doing acrobatics or acting in major films) continues to be on the rise.

These active oldsters have both ample memories and dreams they are aggressively persuing.  This current reality  makes Mr. Clintons quote somewhat an anacronism of the past.

I dream about my future successes and accomplishments and I am actively planning how to achieve them, even after I reach 100 years old.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Do you care

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Have you ever wondered why you behave the way you do?  This is not a simple topic with a multitude of variables driving your actions and motivations.

Today’s post I explore how desires (what you want, what you really, really want) affects behaviour?   Desire or wants occur on an emotional level.

Where does it come from?

Things you want are almost exclusively associated with things you care about.  If you don’t care whether rock and roll is playing on your radio you probably won’t want to buy tickets to a rock concert.

Other variables might influence you to buy concert tickets (e.g., going with a friend or an opportunity to win a prize) but you typically need to care about a topic to want to participate.

Shaping Behaviour

A key underlying driver of behaviour is how invested you are in a topic.  The more you care, the stronger the reaction, that is your desire to achieve and excel.

Obligatory Sports Analogy

If you are a rabid soccer fan you are far more likely to want your team to succeed.  The casual fan enjoys the play but is no where near as invested in the outcome as the enthusiastic fan.

If you are a player and winning really matters to you (you care a lot about the result) your playing behaviour is likely to be aggressive and highly competitive.

If exercise is your what you want, the result can be far less relevant, even irrelevant. Your play will usually match your level of emotional investment.

Knowledge Influencing Action

The next time you are aggressively pursuing something, think about your motivations.  Why do you care?  This approach can help you define a successful strategy to achieve your goal.