Here’s a final “personal favorite of 2010″ post, first published last February. I’ve taken December off to refresh the batteries and to chase down family. Back in full gear after the 1st. Happy New Year, everyone! -sam
(Adapted from the book, Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less.)
Could it be that the common presumption that the world is not functioning well — that the world is a mess — is wrong? Yes, that presumption is wrong, because in any given life, on any given day, countless events and connections — systems — work perfectly.
This world is incredibly efficient when one considers the infinite number of systems that execute with amazing proficiency: plants, animals, oceans, airplanes, bicycles, toasters, societies, and six billion human bodies are all individual systems that perform with quiet flawlessness. We don’t notice the countless efficient systems that make up our lives so we take them for granted, never appreciating the impeccability of it all. Miracles surround us! And the tiny number of systems we consider flawed seem that way only because they are not what we want them to be, as they stand in stark contrast to the massive perfection around them.
Yes, there is pain in the world – I’m not a Pollyanna – but, we hyper-focus on personal, mechanical, and geo-political systems that are not to our liking and conclude that imperfection is the default way of the world. Swallowed up in this, we see perfection as an anomaly; imperfection as the norm.
This ubiquitous perception of life is more than flawed. It’s exactly backwards.
Here’s the crux: If you mistakenly perceive the world as chaotic, your life will be chaotic. But truly grasp that the world is profoundly organized and you will find your life beginning to click along efficiently. There’s nothing mystical here, and this isn’t about having a positive attitude. The world really is an organized place and once you get that you will begin to tweak the inner workings of the machine that is your life, allowing it to produce the results you desire.
For some mysterious reason, systems want to execute perfectly. They want to reach their intended purposes and for your personal situation you can count on an overwhelming bias toward efficiency, rather than chaos. If your world isn’t to your liking, it won’t take long to get things straightened out.
Understand this in your belly: Whether an outcome is to your liking or not, the underlying system that produces that outcome is performing exactly as it is constructed. If it is in our power — and so much that affects us is in our power — we can get inside the systems of our lives and make system improvements.
We are not at the mercy of mysterious conspiring forces or the swirling backwash of chaos!
So these lives we live are composed of a countless number of nearly perfect linear systems, many of which are under our personal control. These systems are the invisible threads that hold the fabric of our lives together. If there is an outcome that doesn’t suit us, we can change that outcome by making a component adjustment within a system, adding a system, or eliminating a system. In a typical life’s rejuvenation, it will be “all of the above.”
And what of those things we can’t fix because they are out of our control? Relax. If you can’t fix something, don’t worry about it. Do what you can, walk away and accept it, or ignore it. If you live in a democracy, vote and then don’t incessantly complain. If you have a problem with a co-worker, talk to him or her and then don’t obsess about the outcome. Metaphorically speaking, if you don’t like the TV program, change the channel or turn off the set.
Save your energy for incremental system-improvement efforts that will deliver the life-results you want.
Photo by Egor Gribanov via flickr used under a creative Commons License.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is such a simple thought but such a profound one, Sam. Thank you so much for posting this. I was so struck that I have shared it on my nascent website.
The underlying factor here is our understanding of free will (or our lack of understanding about how much free will we actually have). I am happily reminded of the millions of beautiful and beautifully operating systems around us (natural and man-made).
Thanks!
Excellent article – thanks.
Thank you Katherine for your kind words. You’re right: It all does come down to free will, and whether or not we are going to use it to make changes. Problem is, too many people don’t see that they have choices, and that they are not helpless.
-sam
Inspirational and thought provoking as usual Sam. I am so glad I signed up for your emails. I truly enjoy receiving and reading them.