Order, Chaos Interrupts Order, and Response

Get Results: expand comfort zone through discomfort
Get Results: expand comfort zone through discomfort

We, humans, navigate the world using schemas, conceptualisations, and abstractions that help us simplify the world, so we don’t get overwhelmed by its complexity, but that allows us to map the world around us well enough to predict cause-and-effect relationships. What we mustn’t do is mistake the map for the territory.

At a very high abstract level, we often see the following pattern at work…

  • Order – safe space. the world we are familiar with
  • Chaos – is all the unknown territory that surrounds the safe space we inhabit. It’s all the complexity we’re shielded from
  • Chaos interrupts order – inevitably order is invaded by chaos.
  • How to respond – the question is how we respond to the interruption.

Whenever things don’t work out as planned, the car breaks down, the relationship goes down the pan, the business we put so much effort into fails, all these are examples of chaos invading order.

We live our lives on a knife edge, and as the saying goes, it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you deal with it.

We have seen so many films, and read numerous books that reflect these dynamics in action. Here’s a short story, which I hope highlights how this pattern plays out.

A short story of order and chaos

Once upon a time in the bustling city of Metropolis, there lived a young and ambitious entrepreneur named Alex. Alex had always been captivated by the world of business and dreamed of establishing a successful company of his own. With a relentless determination and an innate ability to organize and strategise, Alex embraced order in his life.

Driven by his passion, Alex meticulously planned every step of his entrepreneurial journey. He diligently researched market trends, analyzed potential risks, and developed a solid business plan. With a clear vision in mind, he began laying the foundations of his company, diligently adhering to his structured approach.

As the business began to take shape, the first few months were marked by remarkable success. Clients were drawn to Alex’s professionalism and meticulous attention to detail. Orders poured in, and the company steadily gained recognition and respect within the industry. Alex’s commitment to order and organisation seemed to be paying off.

However, amidst the triumphant atmosphere, chaos lurked in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Unexpectedly, a major supplier failed to deliver a critical component essential for the production of Alex’s flagship product. Chaos had interrupted his carefully organized operations.

Staring at the obstacle before him, Alex felt a surge of panic. He had meticulously planned for every foreseeable scenario, but this unforeseen disruption threatened to throw everything off balance. In that moment, Alex faced a critical decision—how to respond to the chaos that had disrupted his ordered life.

Instead of succumbing to despair, Alex chose to confront the chaos head-on. He rallied his team, encouraging open communication and brainstorming sessions to find alternative solutions. Alex reached out to other suppliers, forging new partnerships to ensure the uninterrupted flow of materials. The chaos had interrupted his order, but it had also presented an opportunity for growth, innovation, and new relationships.

As time passed, Alex’s response to chaos proved to be a turning point for his business. The experience forced him to think outside the box and embrace flexibility in his approach. He realized that even the most meticulously planned endeavors can be vulnerable to unpredictable disruptions. By adapting to the challenges, He discovered new avenues for improvement and expansion.

In the face of chaos, Alex’s business not only survived but thrived. The company emerged stronger, more resilient, and adaptable. The initial disruption became a catalyst for innovation and propelled Alex’s business to new heights. Through his unwavering determination and ability to respond to chaos, he had transformed his dreams into a resounding success.

Alex’s journey serves as a testament to the power of order and the ability to navigate chaos. By maintaining a strong foundation of organization and planning, he was able to weather unexpected storms and emerge victorious. His story inspires aspiring entrepreneurs to embrace the balance between order and chaos, recognising that it is through chaos that true growth and success can be achieved.

End of story

So it’s important to realise that the #1 order, #2 chaos invading order, #3 response pattern is an intrinsic part of everybody’s lives, and we should not fear it, but embrace the opportunity of growth and improvement it presents us with.

The Journey of Change and Transformation to Get Results

get results: closer to goal
get results: closer to your goal

These 12 points should be considered when embarking on any journey of change or transformation for the individual.

  1. Start as early as possible. Your future ideal is looking back at your present decisions and actions judgingly.
  2. Plan the best journey you can (given the knowledge you have).
  3. At least consider/research alternatives -to assess which is the best route. If you just set off prematurely you might be going in completely the opposite direction to what you should be going, and will require you to backtrack later, wasting lots of time and effort. Remember, the shortest route between two points is a straight line. Don’t panic if you have set off prematurely, learn from it and get back on track.
  4. You don’t need to know everything when you start out, the journey is partly (even mainly) about growing into the type of person who can complete it, through acquired knowledge learned from the journey itself.
  5. The journey may have lots of distractions, or temptations, always keep one eye on the destination. When making decisions between choices, make sure moving closer to the destination is the deciding factor.
  6. Expect obstacles, they will teach you something about your journey. Consider them a missing part of your plan. Learn from them, they may crop up again further down the road, and you’ll know what to do next time. Some obstacles may even be fun to problem solve.
  7.  Enjoy the journey whenever you can. It’s the thing that is going to take up most of your time. You’re less likely to pursue a goal that requires a dull, uncomfortable, or unenjoyable journey. Sometimes you have no choice, but when you do, pick wisely.
  8. The worry of fear is often an exaggerated version of the thing itself. The mind plays tricks to instinctively keep us safe. Think it through, what is the worst that could happen, and is that outcome really that bad?
  9. Listen to that off-putting part of you thoroughly before going any further, negotiate a satisfying resolution (in good faith), so it doesn’t keep popping up, and using up your energy and resolution. All parts of you should be 100% committed to the journey, so setbacks don’t end things later (wasting more of your time).
  10. Have 3 or 4 good arguments for undertaking the journey to begin with, so that counterarguments don’t get the upper hand. If 40% of you is against the journey, then the remaining 60% is having to pull against this anchor, requiring more expenditure of energy. If 60% is against your journey/ goal/ destination, you’re not going to even try. Do you really want to get to the destination enough? Do you have a big enough reason or enough reasons?
  11. Is completion of the journey a matter of life or death, very important, not really important at all? Get this straight in your mind. ‘Life and death’ is a big enough reason on its own, and you better get on with it. With ‘very low importance’, obviously not so much, but why not give it a go anyway, it might be fun and a great learning opportunity, since you have nothing to lose either way. Value being a lifelong learner.
  12. Once you reach your destination, you’ve got your next journey to navigate. Life is made up of many journeys and these will make up the dash between your birthday and the date of death on your gravestone (final destination of this life at least). We have one life (that we know about for sure), so make the most of it, while you can. But remember, it’s not just about hedonistic pleasure, it’s about making things better for others as well.

Stand Up And Be Counted

Be the change you want in the world

Stop blaming and complaining

Take on the responsibility of making the world a better place

Just a smile to a stranger can make a difference to someone else’s day

A supportive word instead of criticism

Look to add value to someone else’s life

stop just pointing out problems, anyone can do that

Instead provide solutions, bringing them from conception to implementation

There are so many problems in the world, we need people to stand up and be counted

Overcoming The Status Quo

Get Results: force field analysis
Get Results: force field analysis

The status quo seems to have around it some kind of gravity force, which holds us back from moving away from it, towards our goals.

It’s the duel force of fear and anxiety which comes along with the uncertainty of what might lay ahead, particularly when we’re doing something different or new.

It’s so much easier to play safe and stick with our current routine. In our present situation or circumstance we know what to expect, and we know we can deal with most eventualities. There is nothing too scarey to worry about.

Humans don’t deal well with change, it’s fear inducing to trample unexplored territory. There are too many monsters lurking in the darkness, metaphorically speaking.

Our survival instincts have conditioned our brains to avoid anomaly and change at all costs, and the easiest way to do this is to play it safe. Do what we know and keep doing it as long as we can.

At the same time, we like to experience good surprises, like the unexpectedly win or gain of something we value. So uncertainty is good as long as it’s a promise of good.

So wandering away from the status quo is possible, providing we have something positive enough to aim for.

All change has within it, potential, which can be either good or bad. There are risks and dangers, as well as possibilities and opportunities.

We have to find a positive reason to make change, and we have to have the vision of a better alternative than the one we are currently experiencing.

We also have to believe that the cost of not pursuing our goals will deliver such regret that we just won’t be able to bear it in the years to come. This kind of fear propels us forward, rather than holds us back.

Finding the motivation to take action is all about shifting mindset. It’s about hacking the way we think, from something that holds us hostage, into something that opens us up to a new, exciting way forward.

If you want something enough, you’ll find a way, if not, then maybe you just didn’t want it enough.

What Is Important To Do In Life?

Get Results: when we care we share
Get Results: when we care we share

Having direction, gives meaning in life and results in positive emotion.

What should be? We’ll call it point B.

What is? We’ll call it point A.

How to transform A to B.

Be the Hero that voluntarily goes into the unknown, to learn what needs to be learned to convert A to B.

Be brave enough to deal with the dragon of fear and bring back the treasure that you find there, to improve your society for the good of all.

In a nutshell, this means being a problem solver. Start by solving your own problems; figure out what’s holding you back from the life you’d rather be living, and find a way of conquering them. Whether it be fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of being conflicted, lack of self-confidence, if you’re not where you want to be, something is holding you back.

Once you’re able to deal with your own problems on an ongoing basis, you can use the same principles that have helped you, for the benefit of other people. You will then be a master problem-solver, the Hero that goes out to slay the dragon of chaos and brings order to disorder, time and again.

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Let Quote Graphics Inspire Action

Get Results: be the hero of your own story
Get Results: be the hero of your own story

Reading quotes helps reshape beliefs and these are the foundation of motivation.

They can make a big difference in any journey for success.

Motivation is often the very thing that gets blocked and prevents you trying for your goals and dreams.

To take action you must be motivated, and to be motivated you must have congruent beliefs;

#1 – This is what you want, and

#2 – You can do it.

If either of these beliefs are absent from your belief system, you won’t take action.

Well formed quote graphics can help you look at your situation in a different way, to think about it from a different perceptive, to inspire you to take action. It helps you create a different story, or a different narrative on an old story.

A different story, analogy or metaphor, alongside an open mind can reshape or sidestep those disempowering beliefs, which are holding you back.

The first disempowering belief many of us are guilty of holding, is…

“I can’t do this!”

Or some variation of this such as..

“I don’t have the experience!”

“I don’t have the resources!”

Here are a few quotes from Jim Rohn to help you out of this mindset.

Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes get on the good side of life
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes get on the good side of life
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes
Get Results: Jim Rohn quotes

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Stay Motivated: With Quote Graphics

Quote graphics are a great way to stay motivated, check out some top quotes, and keep the page bookmarked because we’ll be changing these graphics regularly.

Overcoming Procrastination

get results: procrastination
get results: procrastination

Procrastination is defined as the action of delaying or postponing something.

We’ve all been guilty of doing this to some degree, some people do it more than others.

We know we would be better spending time doing things that move us closer to our goals. Work that is productive, and worthwhile. When in college or university, it’s revision for that all important next exam, presentation or completion of the next assignment in time for the submission deadline.

So many students procrastinate right up until the looming deadline gets so close that delay can no longer be extended, pulling the all-nighters just to have any chance of submitting something reasonable.

It doesn’t get much better for non-students, in fact, most people struggle with procrastination in some aspect of their lives. Pulled and push about by distractions and temptations, we spend way too much time on social media or surfing the net, in a vain attempt to avoid doing what we should be doing. Or doing anything we can, to get out of going to the gym.

Our instant gratification monkey keeps us seeking pleasurable experiences and avoid doing things that we perceive as work or difficult and thus unpleasant.

We’re hardwired to avoid discomfort, either physically or psychologically.

So how can we better get on with the things that  will improve us, encourage growth, and that will lead us to our goals?

This website is laden with motivational advice, we even have a model to help you unlock your potential, and hack your blocking thought patterns and behaviours. Sign up to our newsletter for more about this.

We’ll add just a couple of options here, but there are many others throughout the website.

Use CONSEQUENCES to your advantage.

At college or university we have deadlines. The fear of a failed exam or a poor score on your assignment are enough for you to resort to pulling an all-nighter, so that you don’t have to suffer the indignity and shame of the consequences of failure. And although students are known for cramming right up the the finishing line, they do still do all they can to hit those deadlines. Deadlines work.

So putting yourself in a position where you give yourself a DEADLINE, and where failure has adverse consequences, will help you hack your motivation. For instance, having an accountability buddy, who holds you to account for your  progress, milestones and end result, is one idea. Broadcasting your intentions and date for completion to your family and friends is another, say on social media. You don’t want to look like a failure to the people closest to you, so you better get the work done.

Give yourself REWARDS for following through; if you get [x] amount done in the next 2 hours, you’ll reward yourself with 30 minutes doing fun stuff, or a lovely treat or whatever works for  you.

Use INCENTIVES along your journey, daily targets achieved result in something good coming your  way. If you get [x] done by [y] you can have/do [z].

In the same way as incentives, use PUNISHMENTS to direct your actions but for the opposite reasons. If you don’t get [x] done by [y] deadline you can’t do [z].

One last thing to consider before we wrap up this post; if you can do something that you love to do so much, and doing it doesn’t feel like work, this will be motivation enough to put in the work. So doing what you love, that also moves you towards your goal(s) is the best scenario possible. It’s worth trying to figure out a way of aligning your purpose (goal) with your day to day activities (actions/behaviours) whenever possible, because this is perfect alignment between your outer world and inner world.

Good luck in your journey.

Check out our motivation guide, here.

Check out more motivation posts, here.

The Starfish Story

While watching the Great North Run on television today, I came across the following story, called THE STARFISH. It’s such a powerful story, in terms of motivating action, so thought I’d share it with you. Here it is, hope you get some inspiration from it. Please share it and spread the love.

Get Results: the starfish story
Get Results: the starfish story

Being DRIVEN To Take Action

Get results: drive
Get results: drive

I was chatting to a friend of mine some time ago, when we got onto the subject of DRIVE. Drive to take action, to follow a certain path. I guess you could refer to drive as motivation.

Anyway we got to chatting about drive coming from the need to escape something, in the sense of keeping busy to keep the mind occupied, so as not to dwell on unpleasant memories.

I remember watching a Tony Robbins video where he was having a conversation about his fear of not taking action being so great, that it overcame any fear he had about taking action. The fear of taking action is often what prevent people pursuing their dreams and chasing their goals down. They fear failure, so don’t even try.

Having thought about this some more, I came to the realisation that we can be driven towards something, like a dream or a goal, or we can be driven to escape or avoid something from our past or in our present situation. There is a third option which is to not do anything because we are indifferent about or content with the status quo or we fear change, but we’ll just keep this post about the first two with regards to drive.

I questioned myself as to what the pros and cons of each of these drives were, and decided that if it helped someone achieve a desired course of action, then either is valid. However there are wider implications with regards to dealing with the issues that a person is running away from, because if they aren’t dealt with sooner or later, they are likely to be running forever. Running might originate from the fight or flight response, but prolonged flight is not particularly healthy in the long term.

It’s much healthier to be driven towards something or be driven by doing something. If you’ve a passion for doing something, than that seems like the ideal situation to aim for.

After all life is lived in the present moment, so it makes sense to enjoy the present moment by doing something you love. Anything else is a mind created construct, both past a future. The past has been spent, the future is not promised.