Thinking Forward... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

alinn · 02-28-2006, 05:45 AM

Hello there,

Long time lurker, first couple of time poster. I'll introduce myself to the tilted community as a very good friend of one of the moderators here. Ubertuber urged me to begin contributing and I think I'll take his advice as time permits. I'll apoligize here for the long-ish post but would love to hear any and all feed back. It's about thinking forward and gettting out of my 'comfort zone' in life...

There is an old story, probably apocryphal, about three men working in a quarry who were asked what they were doing. The first man said that he was breaking big rocks into little ones. The second man said he was making a living. The third man said that he was building a cathedral. Now notice that all these statements are true but all quite different. I think we all need to be the third guy.

And yes, when I say we I mean "i". I am going to make some generalizations with the understanding that it would be far to difficult to continue to type "many, but not all people"....What I am trying to present is a personal context as it relates primarily to self.

There are multiple elements of this
purpose --> values --> vision --> goals

And as you read from left to right they should change from infrequently to frequently....i.e. your purpose shouldn't change very often, your goals should be challenged almost daily, or weekly, or yearly (up to you) They also shift from interal to external facing. (purpose is an internal thing, vision and goals are outward facing.

So broken down they would be

Purpose: The ultimate Why we exists? why are we here? This should be a simple statement. "I want to be happy" is an example

Values: What kinds of things do you hold dear to you? What are the things you look for in yourself and others (friends family etc...)

Vision: What do you want to accomplish? This something that should be measureable, and defined within a time period (i.e. by 2008 I want to have my masters degree)

Goals: Things that help you get to your vision. These can obviously be a variety of things....From "I want to lose 10 pounds" to "I want to have my masters Degree by 2009."

Why do we care about these. I think that far too many people (myself included) continue down paths that perpetuate old behavior. (i.e. I can't sing for you because in the past I have been a bad singer) By looking at it from a very forward posture we can push past this comfort area and begin to understand where we need to go and what needs to happen in order to get there. This will promote self ownership, as it make you responsible for the success or failure of your life. If things aren't going well, then you have some kind of metric to see how bad it really is and thus can evaluate how much change needs to happen.

I think that inherently people do three of these things. People think about what they want so they look to see the purpose of why they are here, people look for a variety of characteristics in themselves and other thus defining their values, and people *sometimes* set goals.

Today I'd like to talk about the Vision. Vision is the difficult one for me to completely wrap my head around, but I also think it is the crux of this entire framework of thinking. The Vision is the thing that forces us all out of our comfort zone and creates the necessity of change. However, it isn't something that should be entered into lightly. We aren't all Martin Luther Kings, or Winston Churchills with some grandeous vision. The Vision is something that you aspire to, but it's also an external thing that makes us each vulnerable so there is a certain amount of trust required to even share it. It's important to keep in mind that each of our visions have equal weight, none is better or worse than some other.

College is a good way to think about Vision.

When I began college (a few years ago now), I must have been asked three million times..."What's your major, Andy?"

I was bad at deciding that...well, that's not entirely true....I just liked to change my mind. I had five majors before I finished undergrad. It's a silly thing they make you decide too soon. You have to try things out and see what works and what doesn't. Just like a Vision....but you have to do it quickly because if you let yourself linger too long, you will go right back to where you were. I think that's why there are so many Communication Majors. Perhaps the best Vision, initally, is "to Define what your vision is by some time (>2 Months)". Then once you have a vision in mind you can develop a cirrculum to get there. The same way that you have some set of classes to take inorder to get a degree. Now that I have been out of college for some time, I find myself somewhat floundering for the rigor that academia provided undergrad or graduate work.

And like a retainer is needed after you have your braces taken off, you need to retain all your hard 'thought' work. Make yourself accountable...

So write these things down....Put them up where you will see them every day...I have, literally, put one of my goals up taped to my bathroom wall. 'I will loose X pounds in Y Months'. I am tracking it every day to see where I am. It's not something that I put up and make a nice notebook, and put on the shelf. I want it in my face every single day to remind me what it is I am doing. And if I am falling behind perhaps I need to change what it is I am doing, or if I am ahead then I can know to be more aggressive in setting my goals later.

I would love to hear any thoughts you guys have about this. It's a little tricky as this is something very personal for all of us and also makes us each vulnerable. But, I also think that community efforts help. If my brother decides that one of his goals is to fix up his new truck, then I can help him when he needs a hand, and I know that my helping him is actually efforting towards something bigger for him. And in turn, when he helps me to eat a little better, he knows that is adding to my bigger picture, or personal context.

So please feel free to let me know if I have lost my mind,
a.

WindGillsPlease · 03-01-2006, 04:18 PM

I think you have some great thoughts. You haven't lost your mind. I'd encourage you to continue sharing your visions with others close to you, in "tactile" life as well as here.

I'm 24. I've pretty much given up most of the most commonly discussed goals I hear. So, it's not a master's degree or 10 pounds really. Here's my vulnerablity:

Purpose: To Love God with all my heart soul and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself.
Values: Imagination, Creativity, Unity, Movement, Humility, mystery.... and striving for the sermon on the mount's lifestyle.
Vision: I want to live more responsibly within 2 years. I want to closer to where I work, and where I play, So I can see everything in the middle.... you know, bike riding between. I want to be fit, so I can enjoy life. I want to live around people, and share life..... Not just marry, then have kids, and live only with them in a big house. I want to understand God's precepts.
Goals: Maybe Cohousing, Maybe Helping Young Churches change and grow. consistant prayer and meditation to hear from God. A job that benefits People directly, not just for money.

Is this what you meant?

alinn · 03-02-2006, 07:47 AM

You got it exactly....

It should stand up logically backwards...

Goals should further Vision --> Vision furthers and re-enforces your values which in turn see your purpose to fruition.

It's really exciting to see someone else here, thanks for the response!

02-28-2006, 05:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
alinn Upright Location: Oakton, VA	Thinking Forward... Hello there, Long time lurker, first couple of time poster. I'll introduce myself to the tilted community as a very good friend of one of the moderators here. Ubertuber urged me to begin contributing and I think I'll take his advice as time permits. I'll apoligize here for the long-ish post but would love to hear any and all feed back. It's about thinking forward and gettting out of my 'comfort zone' in life... There is an old story, probably apocryphal, about three men working in a quarry who were asked what they were doing. The first man said that he was breaking big rocks into little ones. The second man said he was making a living. The third man said that he was building a cathedral. Now notice that all these statements are true but all quite different. I think we all need to be the third guy. And yes, when I say we I mean "i". I am going to make some generalizations with the understanding that it would be far to difficult to continue to type "many, but not all people"....What I am trying to present is a personal context as it relates primarily to self. There are multiple elements of this purpose --> values --> vision --> goals And as you read from left to right they should change from infrequently to frequently....i.e. your purpose shouldn't change very often, your goals should be challenged almost daily, or weekly, or yearly (up to you) They also shift from interal to external facing. (purpose is an internal thing, vision and goals are outward facing. So broken down they would be Purpose: The ultimate Why we exists? why are we here? This should be a simple statement. "I want to be happy" is an example Values: What kinds of things do you hold dear to you? What are the things you look for in yourself and others (friends family etc...) Vision: What do you want to accomplish? This something that should be measureable, and defined within a time period (i.e. by 2008 I want to have my masters degree) Goals: Things that help you get to your vision. These can obviously be a variety of things....From "I want to lose 10 pounds" to "I want to have my masters Degree by 2009." Why do we care about these. I think that far too many people (myself included) continue down paths that perpetuate old behavior. (i.e. I can't sing for you because in the past I have been a bad singer) By looking at it from a very forward posture we can push past this comfort area and begin to understand where we need to go and what needs to happen in order to get there. This will promote self ownership, as it make you responsible for the success or failure of your life. If things aren't going well, then you have some kind of metric to see how bad it really is and thus can evaluate how much change needs to happen. I think that inherently people do three of these things. People think about what they want so they look to see the purpose of why they are here, people look for a variety of characteristics in themselves and other thus defining their values, and people sometimes set goals. Today I'd like to talk about the Vision. Vision is the difficult one for me to completely wrap my head around, but I also think it is the crux of this entire framework of thinking. The Vision is the thing that forces us all out of our comfort zone and creates the necessity of change. However, it isn't something that should be entered into lightly. We aren't all Martin Luther Kings, or Winston Churchills with some grandeous vision. The Vision is something that you aspire to, but it's also an external thing that makes us each vulnerable so there is a certain amount of trust required to even share it. It's important to keep in mind that each of our visions have equal weight, none is better or worse than some other. College is a good way to think about Vision. When I began college (a few years ago now), I must have been asked three million times..."What's your major, Andy?" I was bad at deciding that...well, that's not entirely true....I just liked to change my mind. I had five majors before I finished undergrad. It's a silly thing they make you decide too soon. You have to try things out and see what works and what doesn't. Just like a Vision....but you have to do it quickly because if you let yourself linger too long, you will go right back to where you were. I think that's why there are so many Communication Majors. Perhaps the best Vision, initally, is "to Define what your vision is by some time (>2 Months)". Then once you have a vision in mind you can develop a cirrculum to get there. The same way that you have some set of classes to take inorder to get a degree. Now that I have been out of college for some time, I find myself somewhat floundering for the rigor that academia provided undergrad or graduate work. And like a retainer is needed after you have your braces taken off, you need to retain all your hard 'thought' work. Make yourself accountable... So write these things down....Put them up where you will see them every day...I have, literally, put one of my goals up taped to my bathroom wall. 'I will loose X pounds in Y Months'. I am tracking it every day to see where I am. It's not something that I put up and make a nice notebook, and put on the shelf. I want it in my face every single day to remind me what it is I am doing. And if I am falling behind perhaps I need to change what it is I am doing, or if I am ahead then I can know to be more aggressive in setting my goals later. I would love to hear any thoughts you guys have about this. It's a little tricky as this is something very personal for all of us and also makes us each vulnerable. But, I also think that community efforts help. If my brother decides that one of his goals is to fix up his new truck, then I can help him when he needs a hand, and I know that my helping him is actually efforting towards something bigger for him. And in turn, when he helps me to eat a little better, he knows that is adding to my bigger picture, or personal context. So please feel free to let me know if I have lost my mind, a. __________________ on the banister of life may all the splinters be pointed in the right direction...

03-01-2006, 04:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
WindGillsPlease Upright	I think you have some great thoughts. You haven't lost your mind. I'd encourage you to continue sharing your visions with others close to you, in "tactile" life as well as here. I'm 24. I've pretty much given up most of the most commonly discussed goals I hear. So, it's not a master's degree or 10 pounds really. Here's my vulnerablity: Purpose: To Love God with all my heart soul and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. Values: Imagination, Creativity, Unity, Movement, Humility, mystery.... and striving for the sermon on the mount's lifestyle. Vision: I want to live more responsibly within 2 years. I want to closer to where I work, and where I play, So I can see everything in the middle.... you know, bike riding between. I want to be fit, so I can enjoy life. I want to live around people, and share life..... Not just marry, then have kids, and live only with them in a big house. I want to understand God's precepts. Goals: Maybe Cohousing, Maybe Helping Young Churches change and grow. consistant prayer and meditation to hear from God. A job that benefits People directly, not just for money. Is this what you meant? __________________ Lungs are logical standing on the ground- I ask also for Gills- That I may thrive, and not suffocate in the atmosphere of dreams.

03-02-2006, 07:47 AM	#3 (permalink)
alinn Upright Location: Oakton, VA	You got it exactly.... It should stand up logically backwards... Goals should further Vision --> Vision furthers and re-enforces your values which in turn see your purpose to fruition. It's really exciting to see someone else here, thanks for the response! __________________ on the banister of life may all the splinters be pointed in the right direction...