Observe, Understand, Accept, Adapt, Evolve
Each step is more intensive and complete than the mere word seems to suggest, with the whole process being dependent not on intelligence, not on bravery,... not on anything other than one thing - honesty.
But yes, this is in essence the magical formula for all people, in all times, and all societies, to reach their full potential and discover themselves.
Fine... I'd better break it down:
Observe yourself and your environment, either with respect to a particular problem or system. Gather as many pieces of information you can. Again, honesty is the key to getting the right pieces. You must gather the pieces in as objective a framework as possible. Question the assumptions, and break the framework as much as possible. Get to the most objective one, and then observe.
Understanding involves looking for a consistent picture of the pieces you've just acquired. They will paint a picture, both of yourself and the system/problem you're analyzing. New questions will arise, and at this stage greater generalizations will be possible. You'll ultimately be able to formulate something very general, but so general that it would be useless as a practical tool without adding in more specifics. But having acquired this overall system for looking at the situation is a very useful place to continue.
Accept those aspects which can't be changed. Yes, they MAY ultimately not be immutable, but for now, as far as you can see... they are. So accept them till further insight. Build from this as your starting point. These are the things about both yourself and the situation/problem you're dealing with that you can't change. It may be a temporary thing, based on this point in time, but these are the constraints you will have to deal with in coming up with a practical solution.
Adaptation involves coming up with a plan to now use what you have, to take you from where you are to where you want to be. So you figure out a plan of action essentially, but all of this coming AFTER you've figured as much of the bigger picture as possible, and understanding the underlying dynamics that drive the whole thing in reality. That was the whole point of all the earlier points.
Evolve involves actually going on to the next level. Your plan will seldom work perfectly, because you will learn a new thing about yourself and of the system you are dealing with. In this case, repeat the whole process and refine the plan. So it is both the minor evolution of yourself with respect to your earlier plan, and the evolution of the plan with respect to the new information you have unwittingly acquired.
This then is broadly speaking, the procedure I have and do use time and again to get things right, both in terms of actions in life, and thought processes. It has worked nearly perfectly nearly all the time. The times it hasn't worked is when getting informed to a sufficient degree was too difficult (as in some social circumstances), and in those cases where the actions to be performed are unfeasible at the moment... at least in a simple way (as in my desire to fix the world. I just don't have the resources in every possible sense). But in every other case, it does help to eliminate "losses", ensure you get things "right", and to reach a "higher" level. Does it come at the cost of spontaneity? Yes, in many ways... absolutely. But this is for those people who are sick and tired of fucking up all the time. It is the only way I know of to nearly guarantee you WON'T fuck up in what you're trying to do, or the thing you're trying to solve. The extent of success depends on how honest and inquisitive you are willing to be. Get those right, and you're pretty much set.
Each step is more intensive and complete than the mere word seems to suggest, with the whole process being dependent not on intelligence, not on bravery,... not on anything other than one thing - honesty.
But yes, this is in essence the magical formula for all people, in all times, and all societies, to reach their full potential and discover themselves.
Fine... I'd better break it down:
Observe yourself and your environment, either with respect to a particular problem or system. Gather as many pieces of information you can. Again, honesty is the key to getting the right pieces. You must gather the pieces in as objective a framework as possible. Question the assumptions, and break the framework as much as possible. Get to the most objective one, and then observe.
Understanding involves looking for a consistent picture of the pieces you've just acquired. They will paint a picture, both of yourself and the system/problem you're analyzing. New questions will arise, and at this stage greater generalizations will be possible. You'll ultimately be able to formulate something very general, but so general that it would be useless as a practical tool without adding in more specifics. But having acquired this overall system for looking at the situation is a very useful place to continue.
Accept those aspects which can't be changed. Yes, they MAY ultimately not be immutable, but for now, as far as you can see... they are. So accept them till further insight. Build from this as your starting point. These are the things about both yourself and the situation/problem you're dealing with that you can't change. It may be a temporary thing, based on this point in time, but these are the constraints you will have to deal with in coming up with a practical solution.
Adaptation involves coming up with a plan to now use what you have, to take you from where you are to where you want to be. So you figure out a plan of action essentially, but all of this coming AFTER you've figured as much of the bigger picture as possible, and understanding the underlying dynamics that drive the whole thing in reality. That was the whole point of all the earlier points.
Evolve involves actually going on to the next level. Your plan will seldom work perfectly, because you will learn a new thing about yourself and of the system you are dealing with. In this case, repeat the whole process and refine the plan. So it is both the minor evolution of yourself with respect to your earlier plan, and the evolution of the plan with respect to the new information you have unwittingly acquired.
This then is broadly speaking, the procedure I have and do use time and again to get things right, both in terms of actions in life, and thought processes. It has worked nearly perfectly nearly all the time. The times it hasn't worked is when getting informed to a sufficient degree was too difficult (as in some social circumstances), and in those cases where the actions to be performed are unfeasible at the moment... at least in a simple way (as in my desire to fix the world. I just don't have the resources in every possible sense). But in every other case, it does help to eliminate "losses", ensure you get things "right", and to reach a "higher" level. Does it come at the cost of spontaneity? Yes, in many ways... absolutely. But this is for those people who are sick and tired of fucking up all the time. It is the only way I know of to nearly guarantee you WON'T fuck up in what you're trying to do, or the thing you're trying to solve. The extent of success depends on how honest and inquisitive you are willing to be. Get those right, and you're pretty much set.
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