Confession: I did not start this blog as a road map to success. Quite the opposite, it will serve as a starting point for my journey.
Growth starts somewhere. Here.
While I am intrinsically familiar with the concept of systems (both through my observations of the world and through some of my formal training), I am by no means an expert – yet.
Instead, I have only recently identified systems (also referred to as systems thinking and systems dynamics) as way to better organize and explain the outcomes in our businesses, neighborhoods, relationships, and lives. It is here that my journey to better understand their inner-workings begins.
Why This Blog?
It is easy to lose the forest for the trees.
In the world of digital marketing and social media, for example, many people – myself included – often become obsessed with changes on the micro level. We become so wrapped up in tactics (the optimal time to post a Facebook update, the best tool to organize my emails, the latest change in an algorithm, the momentum behind a new buzzword) that we fail to consider the systems that already exist and produce results.
This blog is intended to help us all think a little bigger, to zoom out and gain a different perspective so that we can accomplish more with less.
We Can’t Do It All
It’s a discouraging thought. But it’s a fact of life.
There is more information available today than ever before. Tomorrow, there will be even greater access to more resources on a wider range of topics.
And if you’re like me and have many different interests, this is both exciting and completely overwhelming.
Exciting because we live in an age where our growth is not limited by our geography or upbringing, but by our willingness to grow. Overwhelming because there aren’t enough hours in the day to consume and implement all of the ideas that exist – even within a specific niche.
My Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that each of us will be better equipped to create and replicate successful outcomes by taking a broader view of the world around us, by examining and understanding the forces that are in play, and by making better decisions on where we spend our time and effort so that our efforts make the largest impact possible.
“As to the methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
First, let’s define success. Then, join me as we map out how to get there.