If our actions determine our outcomes, examining what’s shaping those actions is a great place to look.
Our journey to Scotland saw us arrive in the stunningly beautiful area of the Galloway Forest Park. The cycling was amazing – including the ‘single track’ trails with some great technical areas to show us how incompetent we really were! This is probably the first time we’ve been away and not had a plan. Having spent our lives planning – even planning things that didn’t need to be planned – this has been quite a revelation! Enjoying being in the moment we’re in has made the trip very different to our usual charging around the countryside!
In our last blog, we mentioned that our environment shapes our actions and our actions determine our outcomes, therefore examining our environment is key to achieving the outcomes we wish to see. We also said that we’d be examining our own part in creating a great environment in the Community for people to grow and flourish.
So, in the past week it feels like the rubber has hit the road. One week after launch we were noticing that what we expected and what was happening might not be the same thing! This wasn’t anything to do with the fantastic people who’ve joined us, but was about us not ever having done something like this before and having some expectations that weren’t consistent with what we’d read from many others who’ve started communities. We’d read that it can take a while for people to feel comfortable enough to start contributing, and of course people have very busy lives. So, we reached out to a couple of friends, got some excellent perspectives and inputs, and have started experimenting a bit. Our actions were shaping our outcomes, so we chose to consider what different actions we could take to change those outcomes. That said, sometimes it can be helpful not to take any action at all – or to change anything - because there’s nothing to ‘fix’.
It can be really helpful to take time to examine what’s shaping our actions. Are we free to choose or are our beliefs or stories shaping our choices. As Gary and I discussed what we could do to encourage engagement I was reluctant to ask for help, which has opened up an interesting enquiry for me. We remain a work in progress in both the Fovea Community and in our lives, but we’re excited to be on this journey.
What environment are you creating – intentionally and unintentionally? What different actions could you take to change the outcomes you’re currently seeing? Join us in the Fovea Community to explore this, and much much more.