Nicholas Bate

Revolution not Resolution: 4: Action

The story so far...

Revolution not Resolution 1: The Blank Canvas

Revolution not Resolution 2: Analysis

Revolution not Resolution 3: Narrative

From wild dreaming and reflection (the blank canvas) to identification of important themes (analysis) to clarification and deepening of understanding (narrative), we are now ready to do our most important part: read very double page spread narrative that you have created and pull out actions that you wish or need to take over the next 12 months.

Look for actions that are under your control:

reduce household expenditure by 15% month rather than win the lotto

Look for actions that are explicit rather than implicit

interview one start up owner per day during January rather than talk to those who have started their own business

Finally create a simply 2 by 2 matrix. On the vertical axis list every explicit action you plan to take. On the horizontal axis detail a 52 week time-line. Plot when you will take each action. Ironically push actions out further. It's tempting to bunch them at the start of the year but task over-load will deter you. Even out the load.

Start today. Do not expect blistering success every day. Expect set-back and anguish. But that's life, growth and how we get really really good: sticking to the path and finding alternative routes.

Saddle up and work the actions.

Revolution not Resolution: 3: Narrative

Revolution not Resolution 1: The Blank Canvas

Revolution not Resolution 2: Analysis

So you have your notebook and your original 'blank canvas'. Your notebook now has double-page spreads each with a heading which captures an element from your drawing on your 'canvas'. Maybe just a couple of spreads, maybe twenty or so. No matter. Take each double page spread with heading atop and now write. Write as much as you can. Expand the topic, detail the topic. Squeeze out expression about the heading, about the the topic. What is it? Why this? What does it mean? Why not earlier? Loves? Fears? Cover the page, paste in extra pages if necessary.

This process may take minutes, hours or days. Work at it. It's worth it and we're almost there: turning vanilla resolutions into personal active revolutions. And now pick up the final elements in your saddle up kit. Read Be Bold daily. Read How To Be Brilliant daily. Until the ideas seep in. These two book are less about knowledge and more about mindset.

Work at it. TBC.

Revolution Not Resolution: 2: Analysis

The back story is here.

Now reflect on your canvas. Look at the elements of the drawing. Now take any element and with your notebook and pencil from your saddle up kit, headline a double page spread with what that element means to you. So deep in your drawing for example is a fast car heading through what appear to be Tuscan hillsides. Capture it in a word or two but as you do, go deeper. Maybe it is a fast car. Maybe it is travel. Maybe it is more holidays. Maybe it is freedom.  Put a heading: you can always change it later.

Now analyse every element of the drawing and reduce it to a heading atop a double page spread of your notebook. That's it for the moment: there's plenty to be done. TBC.

Revolution not Resolution: 1: The Blank Canvas

Resolutions do work. But not well enough, often enough or quickly enough. That's because we generally only address a symptom or a more superficial issue. In a time, in a world, in an economy where things are challenging enough anyway, resolutions suck. Bring on your own personal revolution.

But how? Part of the key to starting your personal revolution, to never going back to the old crappy way of doing things is to push through and past the same same old patterns of thinking and behaviours which lock us down. The 'wanna', the 'shoulda' the 'oughta', the 'told you so' and genuinely get some fresh thinking.

But how? Man/woman and language is a powerful combo of course. But not only does language liberate it traps us. It is our silent code. We say daft stuff such as '"I could never do that". When actually we could. The sentence is the barrier not the commute, mountain nor desert.

And so? Skip language for an hour or so. Take the largest blank sheet of paper you can get. Perhaps tape some A4 pieces together (Kurt may use legal) and then draw. Yes draw. Drawing breaks the patterns. No words, just draw.

But what? How do you want things to be in 24 months in your personal world? Draw 'it'.

Yes: just draw.

Yes: any and all aspects of your life.

Yes: want. We'll sort the details later.

Now go draw. Pencil and paper. 

Revolution not Resolution: 1: Blank Canvas. TBC

(for future sessions ensure you have your Saddle Up kit)