Being well enables you to have extra-ordinary results everywhere (part 2)
Quick Answer: To be well and get extra-ordinary results, list the areas of life and business that matter to you, define activities, routines and practices for each, schedule them and act. Watch where you compartmentalise, work with a coach as your mirror, and fail faster, because failure is where you learn what works.
Where Part 1 Left Off
In part 1 of this 2 part mini-series we presented two models. The first model we shared with you is "Activities, Routines and Practices." From this point, we will refer to it as ARP. The second model we introduced was the "Principle of Integration." The purpose of this mini-article series is to show you one key thing: if you do not have the correct ARPs and if your business is not designed from the Principle of Integration your ability to perform and have extra-ordinary results everywhere will decrease substantially.
Let us do a quick review of the two models and how they work together. ARPs set you up so you are effective, i.e. doing the right things. The Principle of Integration shows us that most of us compartmentalise (separate) instead of integrate what we do, falsely thinking that if one area of our business/life is not working it will not spill over to other areas and affect performance. This is false reasoning.
Keep in mind, we are not saying that you cannot produce results if you compartmentalise how you work. We are saying, however, that your access to the next level of performance will be blocked.
Before we go further in this article, we want to say something about models. Models are not "the truth". They are simply a way of looking at and interpreting reality, so that we feel enabled and empowered in the adventure of entrepreneurship. If a model does not fit your reality, or how you want to work, you don't need to use it. What we do encourage, however, is trying a model on before outright rejecting it. That way you can at least test it.
Five Steps to Design Your ARPs
Now, lets get back to your ARPs! The question we left you with was "What are the extra-ordinary activities, routines and practices that you can develop in your business so you can be well and have extra-ordinary results everywhere?"
Let us consider this question, and create a list of all the areas of life and business where you want to have extra-ordinary results. Take a moment to write the list.
1. Areas of life where I intend to be well and have extra-ordinary results. Write down the areas that matter to you. Areas can be marketing, health, family, friends, money, exercise, planning etc.
2. For each area, define your set of ARPs. For each area of life or business, list its activities, its routines and its practices. (If you don't remember the definitions for these terms go back to Part 1.)
3. Make sure your ARPs are clearly defined. Show them to your coach or business partner.
4. Schedule your ARPs in your calendar. Having a plan and a schedule gives you a chance at succeeding.
5. Take the actions. This is the most important step because actions make things happen!
Where Are You Compartmentalising?
Now, in regards to the Principle of Integration, the question we left you with was, "Where are you compartmentalising your life and your business?"
What you probably noticed as you went through your ARPs is that there is some compartmentalisation. The degree varies from person to person, however if you tell the truth, you will see it for yourself. For instance, you may have noticed that you want to have more sales but you do not have proper tracking in your finance department to see how you produce your sales.
This is a common example of how one area affects another area. You may also notice that you are not generous with your time or money, and yet you expect your partners to be generous with their time and money. This is a paradox, and you will notice many of them, if you look carefully!
By the way, this is good news!
We recommend that you do this work with a partner or a coach, as it requires someone to be your mirror to get the full benefit. Unfortunately, we are not designed to produce extra-ordinary results working alone...
Fail Faster: Being Well and Having Extra-Ordinary Results
As you can now tell, being well is not simply a function of having the right exercise routine. It requires thinking about how all of the parts of your business work together.
Having extra-ordinary results also requires a shifted relationship to failure. Contrary to popular belief, the access to success is failure. Therefore if you want to have extra-ordinary results the operating principle you will need to adopt is "Fail Faster". We know this sounds strange, but if you look at anyone who is successful they will tell you that they embraced failure and that is why they have success. One of the reasons behind this idea of failing is that when you succeed, most of the time you give yourself a pat on the back, have a few drinks and move on. When you fail, you go through the process of looking for what worked, what did not work and what was missing.
Unfortunately, our education system teaches students every year that failure is BAD! And, many of us take that conditioning into our businesses and it is how we define our activities, routines and practices. And, if your activities, routines and practices are designed around the context that "failure is bad" or "failure is to be avoided at all cost" you are not going to be closer to extra-ordinary results. In fact, you will actually move away from the results you seek by avoiding failure.
And that is the simple reason why many people never get to experience extra-ordinary results: their ARPs are created to run away from failure, or from experiences they consider to be failures.
With that in mind, take the time to design your ARPs based upon what is important to you, and achieve your extra-ordinary results.
Be well, enjoy the adventure and fail faster!
- Without the right activities, routines and practices (ARPs), and without integration, performance suffers.
- Models are ways of looking at reality: try one on before rejecting it.
- List your important areas, define ARPs for each, check them with a coach, schedule them and act.
- One area of business always spills into another, like sales goals without sales tracking in finance.
- Success comes through failure: design your ARPs to fail faster, not to avoid failure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are ARPs?
ARPs are activities, routines and practices. Activities keep you active, routines maintain something and practices make you better at something. Part 1 of this series defines each one.
How do I design my own ARPs?
List the areas of life and business where you want extra-ordinary results, define activities, routines and practices for each, make them clear, show them to a coach or partner, put them in your calendar, and take the actions.
What does "fail faster" mean?
It means treating failure as the access to success. When you fail, you look at what worked, what did not and what was missing, and that is where the learning happens.
Why work with a coach on this?
Seeing your own compartmentalisation takes someone who can act as your mirror. We are not designed to produce extra-ordinary results working alone.