Warning – This is a working session!

Actual work and thinking will be

necessary!

Awakening to the Agile Life

Before we start

• Think of something compelling you would like to achieve (x 2)– It must make a positive change in your life– 3-6 months into the future– Must be in your control– Make it big enough……

Leonardo Da Vinci accomplished amazing things.

Of course, back then, there were 24 hours in a day.

- Anonymous

Patterns of genius

• Leonardo da Vinci– Curiosity– Testing knowledge– Experience the senses– Embrace uncertainty– Balance art, science and imagination

Planting frogs

Planting frogs

• The disease of busyness– Take on too much– Not knowing enough before we do– Fewer support structures– Higher expectations– Change

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans

– John Lennon

The active inertia trap

• We don’t want to change even though we know we must - comfort zone

• Warning signs– I’m at the top of my game!– Everyone knows that I am the best at what I do!– I know it all!– Doing it faster and better does not solve the

problem anymore

Vision

• A compelling positively phrased desired state to be achieved in the future

• Intentions that are broad and forward-thinking• Supported by well thought through goals • Gives direction• Improves the quality of the present moment

reality

Your vision

Vision

Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with

vision is making a positive difference. - Joel Barker

Vision

• Begins with commitment– Definition: An action taken in the present which

binds you to a future course of action• Relies on the resources you have or will

acquire• Leads to expertise and confidence

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A quick exercise

• Remember a wonderful experience in your life - something that stands out as a peak experience– What are the good things you remember?– How did you feel?– How did you get there?– If others saw you at this moment what would be

their observation about your three most valuable qualities?

Patterns of genius

• Aristotle– Understand the fundamentals (laws)– Ask basic questions

• Does "IT" exist?• What is the nature of "IT"? (What are the parts of

IT)• Are those parts connected with/make up "IT"?• What is the reason/cause for the connection?

Credit – Robert Dilts

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The best about you

• What are the things you value most about yourself?

• What are the things that give you meaning?

• What valuable resources do you have?• What is exiting about you?

Why positivity is important…

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The future

• Imagine you could close your eyes, open them and see in front of you, the you in five years time, just like you hoped, dreamed and wished you would be:– What is happening?– How is your world different?– How do you look?– How do you think you feel?– How are you contributing to this new world?– What is it that you are doing that is making this difference?– What is most exciting of what you are doing?– What are the good things people are saying about you?

Patterns of genius

• Sherlock Holmes– Observation

• What do we see with the innocent eye?• What are the clues?

– Inference• What do we imagine it can be?• Assumptions• Imagination• Divergence

– Deduction• What does it mean?• Convergence

Credit – Robert Dilts

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Fluid future

• A story about the future• Describes:

– Outcome– Skills/resources– Learnings– State

Identifying fluid futures

• For one of your outcomes– What is your envisioned future?– What are the likely alternate futures (2-3 alternate futures)?– What do you know about all of these different futures?

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For our exercise

• Consider the following futures:– Best possible outcome– Worst possible outcome

Describe your fluid futures

• For your compelling outcome (both scenarios):– It just happened– Describe the story in the present tense

• What happened?• How do you feel now that you have achieved …?• What is it that you did to achieve ...?• What obstacles did you overcome to ….?• Who helped to ...?• What were the skills that enabled you to ….?• What are lessons you learned in achieving …?

Describe your futures

• Now…… Read both futures….– At what point/s did the stories split and when did

the one future turn into the other?– What did you notice at that point?– How did you feel at that point?– What were the signs before?– What could you have done to prevent this from

happening?

Patterns of genius

• Einstein– Begin with the sensory experience– Identify the fundamental elements/parts– Construct visual images of the elements/parts– Combinatory play– Dissociate, observe and describe– Predict new rules/behaviour/states from

dissociated view– Test it

Credit – Robert Dilts

The time travel experiment

• A metaphor….

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Thank you!

f@takeaction.co.za