Written by: Alessandro Carli, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Achieving goals, results, success… who doesn’t want that? What we do all day long, though, is stress ourselves out to do whatever it takes to get “there”… but is that what we should really do, or is there something we still haven’t figured out yet?
When you wake up in the morning, and you go to the bathroom to get yourself ready for a new day, one of the first things you do is look at yourself in the mirror.
What seems like a very ordinary thing to do is actually something quite extraordinary, as you start living two realities simultaneously: one is you, and another is whom you see looking back at you.
Or, to put it another way: one is the cause (you), and the other is the effect (the image of you in the mirror), but because nobody can see oneself as he/she really is, that reflection in the mirror is the only reality we interact with, and that we believe to be true.
Now, let's suppose there's something about our face that we don't like and want to fix: a long beard, our face looks a bit swollen, our hair looks more like a thorn bush, a pimple that came out of nowhere overnight... what are you going to do about it? How are you going to fix the image in the mirror?
Exactly, you CAN'T! The only thing you CAN do is to change something in (the real) you so that what you'll then see in the mirror will change accordingly. In other words, you work on the cause, not the effect.
Obvious, right? Of course, it is! And yet, what most of us do in our lives is trying to change the effect to either solve a problem, or to achieve a goal, which is impossible: you just can't change an effect!
Beware of the “mechanistic” thinking
Yet...
when we conflict with people, we argue in order to change other people's minds, in the impossible attempt to pull them to our side;
when we get sick, we just want to get rid of the symptoms with some pills, instead of wondering why they came up in the first place, and do something about the causes;
when our company starts having cash-flow problems, our first option is to ask for a loan from our bank, just to get some instant, albeit short-lived, relief.
when we ask to get coached so we can achieve a goal, we ask our coach to tell us "how-to" get there as quickly and as least painfully as possible, instead of asking him/her to help us become the kind of person we need to be to not only attain the desired outcomes but to be able to fully enjoy them on the long term.
We are result-oriented, and that's because our ego constantly asks for either instant gratification or relief. This basic thinking and attitude of ours is described as "mechanistic", because we perceive reality as a big Machine that we can control by just pushing a few buttons, now and then, to get what we want... but it's like trying to change the image of us reflected by the mirror.
Changing our focus
This is why it makes no sense to be so focused, and even obsessed, on attaining results at all costs unless the results refer to a significant change of perspective by the individual concerning his role and purpose in this world.
Ultimately, everything comes down to attaining strong, visible results, because this is the level where causes manifest as tangible effects, but there's an enormous difference in the quality of those results if they derive from a mechanistic or systemic (with a clear knowledge and application of natural dynamics. Check out my previous article in Brainz Magazine here) approach to our reality.
The strategies you use to achieve solid, significant, and, most of all, long-term results should consider the following guidelines.
They should be process-centered
In short, never mind the results. Just make sure the process you engage in to attain the desired goals includes a sharp vision of where you want to be, why, the mental state you need to work with, how you want to feel, what significant benefits you want to produce not just for yourself, but also for those who are somehow involved in your project.
They should be sustainable
We hear a lot about "sustainability", lately, but in most cases, it's not clear what actually makes something sustainable. It's not so much what we do that makes a strategy/result sustainable or not, but how our environment reacts to what we do, and because the various environments, or contexts, that we operate in are natural, they do not respond positively to "mechanistic" strategies (click here to know more).
They should also benefit others
This is not only moral, or ethical, but deeply psychological too. We use our minds a lot more effectively when we are in a state of desire than when we are in a state of need. When we are in a state of need, it's just about us, and there's a very heavy psychological pressure being exerted on us. On the other hand, when we desire something, we don't "have to" have it, we just want it, there's no pressure, and we possibly want others to enjoy it as well, giving us more motivation.
They should cause some pain
I realize many would disagree with this. However, pain and fear are not just great motivators (even though they're not sustainable in the medium-long term), but they clearly indicate that you're trying to break out of your comfort zone and grow, which is the REAL purpose behind your trying to achieve the results you're pursuing.
You should have full control over them
It doesn't mean that it has to be easy, or it would contradict the previous condition, but it does mean that whatever has to be done must be in your power to do. This is important, because the less control you have, the stronger your inner resistance will get, which can ultimately sabotage any attempt to succeed.
It's possible to realize any result or goal you have in your heart and mind, but you must be able to distinguish at what level you should operate to succeed. Focusing on your final result, and trying to change the conditions to force events to happen will only get you a lot of frustration; however, if you act wisely, moving the right strings with some knowledge of the natural dynamics involved, then there's just nothing you can't achieve.
Alessandro Carli, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Canadian born, now living in Italy, Alessandro has been involved in personal growth since 1987, and made it his full-time profession for the past 22 years. He trained and coached people at a personal and professional level, helping them draw out more of their human potential, and at the same time having them become more aware of the laws, forces and dynamics that shape our reality. It's a specific study topic related to Systemic Intelligence which, besides working on self-improvement, allows to interact more effectively with our various environments. He wrote and published two books (in Italian) which roughly translate in "The 5 Principles of Corporate Success" and "Your Money And Your Life".
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