WAKEshine

You have a process in place in your life.  It is a machine that is run entirely by you.

On the left are the inputs.  These are time and resources.

On the right are the desired outputs.  This includes pleasure and satisfaction.

As it runs, it produces side effects, ranging from tiredness to annoyance to pain.

Like any machine, your Life Process runs in a particular environment.  Like any machine, it requires maintenance and adjustments.

If the environment changes, the machine needs to change in order to produce the same outputs.

If the resources change, the machine needs to change in order to produce the same outputs.

If the desired output changes, the machine and the inputs can be changed in order to achieve the new goals.

Most people are not aware that their machine is in place, that they are running it, and that it is producing output they in some way desire.  They are aware that they are not reaching their dreams in their lives, and they tend to blame it on the environment and even on the side-effects of the machine.

I’m not going to tell you that you can get any output you want in any environment.  But you can optimize your machine to give you the best possible outputs (for you) in the environment you are in.

The first step is to figure out what results you do want.  A lot of us have learned a habit of rationalizing away our wants.  I used to work as a contractor, averaging a little over a year at any given job.  Many times employees would come to me and complain about their environment, and say they’d like to change jobs but "it’s the same everywhere you go."

I’ve worked at a lot of companies, and no two were ever the same.  Small companies have their pros and cons, large companies have theirs.  I’ve worked at places where the VP had promoted such a culture of backstabbing that it affected everything that happened.  And I’ve worked at a large company that did such a great job of making everybody feel that what they do is important that the motivation factor was extremely high.

It’s worth it to cultivate the skill of specifying what you want, regardless of whether it’s "achievable."  Look deep in your heart and imagine the best situation you can, in any environment.  Now adapt it to your current environment, supposing you had unlimited resources.

Don’t accept traditional tradeoffs.  Voices in your head (or voices of people you tell your plan to) will say "Yeah, but when you make a lot of money you won’t be happier," or "All jobs are the same," or "Once you move, you’ll find a whole new set of problems."

You are in charge of your situation.  You will discover and deal with the tradeoffs as they occur.

Now you have a picture of the best you can be in the current environment, without regard to how to get there.  Is the next step to figure out how to get there?

Not yet.  We know where we want to go; let’s figure out where we are.

The second step is very important.  It’s time to take a good, long look at your current Life Process.  The machine is up and running.  And guess what?  You are getting desired output.

The person who stays in a job he hates because "it’s the same anywhere you go" is getting the desired output: safety from trying something new and failing.

The person who works past midnight on a home business even though he gets almost no return for the work is getting the desired output.  It may be a desire to keep busy, or to avoid something in his life, or something else.

It’s time to look at why you do what you do.  If you come home from work exhausted and just want to watch an hour of The Simpsons before you get back into your family life, you are achieving a goal.  Be clear about the goal: the desire for some time to yourself, for some entertainment, for releasing the stress of the day.

But now it’s time for step three: Looking at where you are, and looking at where you’d like to be…how will you get there?

It’s time to upgrade the machine.  Pick one of your desired goals and examine it.  You need a stress release at the end of the work day.  You could watch the Simpsons. Or…. You could take a Tae Kwon Do class.  You could come home and wrestle with your kids.  You could do some wordworking in the garage.

If we’re not careful, our Life Process gets developed more and more by default.  It really is satisfying some needs, but if we’re not evaluating what the need is, and how we’ve decided to meet that need, we end up stuck in a poorly-performing machine.

Some keys to redesigning your machine:

Are there some processes you do over and over during the day (or during the week), each time getting a little satisfaction?  Maybe you can find one new process that you do less but gives you more.  For example, instead of having a fair time watching sports on TV every night, save up to go to an actual game once a month, and have a great time.

Are you scattered out, putting lots of energy into many different tasks?  Maybe you can combine tasks to meet multiple needs.  You can have family time and workout time by going to a gym with a pool.

Is your desire for recognition?  This is a tricky one.  There is a real satisfaction to being recognized for doing a good job, but that desire can also be a tough taskmaster.  If you really want the recognition, decide up front what the goal is and how you will show it off.  Have milestones that you can reach, and do your best to enjoy the process along the way.  Don’t be more caught up in recognition than you are in achievement.  Recognize yourself before you look for others to approve you.

Your true desires are you key toward getting the life you want.  Discover them, honor them.  Look at where you are today, and how you work to achieve goals.  And then slowly modify your machine to start producing the best results you can.