The road ahead might offer a glimpse of what we will encounter, but it rarely reveals the entire route. We press on to see what is around the corner, informed by what we have already encountered and trusting we possess the necessary skills to navigate the territory ahead.
The impact is muted if I eat all my energy bars and drink all my sports drinks in the first half-hour of a six-hour bike ride. If I wait until the final half-hour to consume all my nutrition, the fuel arrives too late to produce a substantive difference. However, the result is much greater if I plan to eat one bar and drink one bottle each hour throughout the ride. A nutrition strategy for my journey allows for a more consistent and sustained effort.
How might we apply this strategy to our own work? How do we ensure we have fuel for our journey delivered at the right intervals?
How does your energy vary between arrival and departure from a destination? A sense of place is a major influence, home versus new location. Do we arrive with anticipation and depart with satisfaction? Are we descending into anxiety and ascending with relief?
What emotions are we trying to elicit when we join a cause, and what do we hope to feel as we move on to the next enterprise?
Michael Cane was mentored to use the ‘difficulty’ that presented itself as an opportunity. In an interview, he suggested that an unplanned obstacle can fortify the storyline.
We know some efforts are destined to fail over time. But the struggle of keeping them in the scene for as long as possible creates the tension, attention, and struggle that compels others to follow the journey.
How are you using unplanned difficulties to enhance your efforts?
I might have planned to go on a trail run. I did not plan the weather, scenery, trail conditions, and energy sensations. A portion of our work is planned, and a portion is exploration. We do not always know how our exertion will manifest but we lace up and head out.
An item might be useful but elicit more disappointment than delight. Another design of the same object might enhance our mental engagement and delight while being utilitarian. How might we find the balance that supports our work?
Sometimes, art touches us in a way that a coherent case based on the best facts does not. There are occasions when a well-placed design does more than any paragraph might. I am not sure I found the right Polar Bar when doing a quick internet search, but their design makes me curious to learn more. How might we embrace the aesthetics embedded in our purpose?
Musicians pay for the special requests made by riders in their contracts. Many might have read about outlandish requests submitted to local concert venues. A rider’s purpose in a contract is to modify or add more information. If it is non-negotiable to have a three-legged Bengal Tiger in your dressing room to perform, then the rider captures that information.
What would your cause be willing to pay for from its resources to be more effective? What instruments, amenities, and upgrades might make you immensely more productive? How might your list change if the list was the production team’s responsibility to purchase? There are the ‘nice to have’ and ‘essential’ lists.
One of my epiphanies while thru-hiking was several items that I thought were essential for a multi-week backpack. A few pieces of equipment were sent home after a week because the return on investment of carrying them versus the value provided was not high enough. Had an outside agency been transporting the items, I might have kept them in the gear bag.
What must be in your backpack? What do you pack if somebody else helps you carry the load?
As Steve Martin shared in an interview, “Be so good that they cannot ignore you.” What makes you so good that people seek you out? What is remarkable about your service that inspires people to risk their social capital by recommending you to their peers?
When we reach a sufficient altitude the obstacles on the ground tend to flatten. We open up views to new horizons.
What-if-concepts 