Notes for Navigating Your Own Way (an ongoing list)
NSEW
There is a lot of information out there, and a lot of people trying to share it with us.
Working with coaches, reading blogs, listening to podcasts—I try to keep a few general rules in mind to get where I'm trying to go without getting caught up:
- Some bits of information/advice are not relevant to me now
- Some bits of information/advice will not be relevant to me ever
- Many concepts, both old and new, contain both right and wrong information. So try not to accept or reject ideas fully, but further explore them
- Just because something works does not mean that it is the correct thing to do (perhaps because is is not right for me at the time, or may be not for me at all)
- There are no "5 easy steps" to doing anything worthwhile
- Just because a tool was used for a certain purpose does not mean that it is tied to that purpose, and can many times can be used for other applications
- If I need help, I should go to people because I like how they do things, not just because I like what they have to say
- If I like what someone says, I must recognize that it is still only one perspective
- I have a unique perspective for every situation. It may differ from others. That is ok
- I can continue to listen people with other perspectives as long as I continue to maintain my own (which may or may not change)
- Outside help is transient if the help is not internalized
- Things that I am passionate about but are structured incorrectly can be draining
- Things that are well-structured can be draining as well if I have no passion for them
- Structure is easier to change than passion
- Some structures are more difficult than others to change (for many reasons including legacy, superficial success, extremely tangled)
- Sometimes it is less draining to change the system than it is to leave
- Also vice versa