%% #📓 #📚 #🔴 #NEXT %% # How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters **Author(s):** [[Michael Bungay Stanier]] **Citation:** Bungay Stanier, M. (2022). *How to begin: Start doing something that matters.* Page Two. --- # ~ 3 Sentence Summary MBS defines a [[Worthy Goal]] and then walks the reader through a process of finding and starting one. ## Key Takeaways - "We unlock our greatness by working on the hard things." - # Notes & Important Ideas ### Introduction > [! abstract] Introduction Summary > Make the most of your life and do something that matters - for your life, and for the world. - MBS distinguishes two types of [[ambition]] - for your life, and for the world. - The How to Begin process has three stages: 1. [[#Set a Worthy Goal]] 2. [[#Commit]] 3. [[#Cross the Threshold]] - [[It's all about the process, not the result]] ## Set a Worthy Goal ### Chapter 1 - Find Your Focus > [! abstract] Chapter 1 Summary > Identify the focus, scope and type of your Worthy Goal and make sure it is Thrilling, Important, *and* Daunting. - For a goal to be worthy enough for you to commit to it, it must have three elements: 1. [[thrilling]] 2. [[important]] 3. [[daunting]] ![[Worthy Goal Elements.png]] - Use three dimensions to explore ideas and identify a worthy goal: - **Sphere -** Work or Not Work - **Scale -** Intimate to Broad - Team > Department > Organization > Society - Family > Community > Audience > Movement - **Class -** Projects, People, & Patterns - Project-class goals focus on Doing - People-class goals focus on Interacting - Pattern-class goals focus on Being - Once you've picked an idea, write a [[crappy first draft]] of your [[Worthy Goal]]. ### Chapter 2 - Test Your Ambition > [! abstract] Chapter 2 Summary > Use the Spouse-ish, FOSO, and Goldilcks Zone tests to ensure your worthy goal is really thrilling, important and daunting. Then write a second draft that starts with an action verb. - Fine tune your worthy goal by testing its ambition. > [! example] The Spouse-ish Test - good for testing Thrilling > Share your Worthy Goal with someone who knows you better than anyone and clock their reaction. > 1. Yes! "That's wonderful! Go for it!" > 2. Yes!! "That's awesome. But seriously, just do it." > 3. No! "That's ridiculous. I don't think you should do that." > You don't have to agree, but it offers an alternative view to help you understand your own level of excitement and commitment. > [! example] The FOSO Test - good for testing Important > Add "for the sake of. . ." to the end of your Worthy Goal. It is an alternative to "Why." > [! example] The Goldilocks Zone Test - good for testing Daunting > Use this test to gauge your Worthy Goal's doability. > ![[Goldilocks Zone.svg|centerimg]] - After you run your crappy first draft through these tests, write a second draft that starts with an action verb, so you are committing to action. > [! quote] Michael Bungay Stanier - p. 46 > "It's by working the process that you make progress. It's by *doing* the hard things that we unlock our greatness." ### Chapter 3 - Claim Your Goal > [! abstract] Chapter 3 Summary > Rate each element of your worthy goal draft on a scale of 1-7. Aim for at least a 6/7 for each element. Try to find a single word or phrase that when added to your worthy goal tightens the power and focus. The more specific the better. You're looking for a strong final draft that is "good enough" to commit to. - Rate the current draft of your Worthy Goal on a scale of 1-7 against each of the three key elements - thrilling, important, and daunting - and total them. - If the score is not 18 or higher, your Worthy Goal is not ready yet. - Rating your Worthy Goal helps you reset how you're feeling about it. - Whatever your score, see if you can add one word or short phrase to tighten the power and focus of your Worthy Goal. - It may help to set more specific parameters or limits around: - **Commitment -** how much time, energy, or money are you willing to give? - **Reach -** how wide or narrow would you like your geographic or audience reach to be? - **Time -** how long will this take, or when would you like to hit certain milestones? - **Scope -** how narrow or expansive is your scope? - **Standard -** what quality would you like to deliver? - **Outcome -** be more specific about your desired outcome. - Write a strong final draft of your Worthy Goal. - You're not seeking perfection, use your gut feeling to determine if your Worthy Goal is "[[good enough]]" to commit to. ## Commit ### Chapter 4 - See Where You Stand > [! abstract] Chapter 4 Summary - Instead of spending all your time thinking about how things should be, focus on understanding the present so you can start shifting things in the right direction. - Requires [[vulnerability]] to examine what isn't going so well. - Acknowledge your [[false starts]] and look for any patterns. - Notice the [[Mosquitoes]] and again look for any patterns. > [! quote] Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop > "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." - Don't beat yourself up over your false starts and Mosquitoes, instead show yourself compassion so you can reset and recover > [! example] Two ways to shift your energy and recover > 1. Be curious and see your setbacks as feedback, not failure. > - When things go wrong, throw your hands up in the air and say, "How fascinating!" > 2. Look at backward steps as evidence that you're on a path that matters. > - In the [[Hero's Journey]], when the hero first hears the call, they refuse the call. > [! quote] Michael Bungay Stanier - p. 87 > "All those times it's difficult, when you notice the resistance, when you seem to be avoiding the adventure that's unfolding in front of you . . . those aren't moments of failure, those are moments of *confirmation*." ### Chapter 5 - Weigh Up the Status Quo > [! abstract] Chapter 5 Summary > [! quote] Michael Bungay Stanier - p.91-92 > "We're far more committed to the status quo than we realize. Until you fully understand this commitment, promises that run deep and are often unspoken and unrecognized, it's hard to shift that allegiance." - You must identify and balance out your [[prizes (comfort) and punishments (costs) for maintaining the status quo]]. - How would you benefit from *not* taking on your Worthy Goal? - What's the price being paid by you? - What's the price being paid by those directly impacted? - What's the price being paid by the broader world? - To experience a [[phase transition]] and break the bonds of the status quo requires energy. - The punishments of the status quo must outweigh the prizes. - If the punishments of *not* taking on your Worthy Goal outweigh the prizes of maintaining the status quo, then move on to [[#Chapter 6 - Weigh Up the Journey]]. - If the prizes of the status quo outweigh the punishments of *not* taking on your Worthy Goal, go back to the start of the process. - Rework your Worthy Goal - you might be able to adjust your goal, or you may need an entirely new goal. - Examine and understand how committed you are to the status quo. - Explore how you might feel more deeply the price you're paying by not taking on your Worthy Goal. ### Chapter 6 - Weigh Up the Journey > [! abstract] Chapter 6 Summary - Your Worthy Goal can be a catalyst to help you move from [[You+ vs You 2.0|You+ to You 2.0]]. - Pursuing a Worthy Goal is a difficult process that requires breaking free of your limits. To determine whether you should take on a Worthy Goal you should identify and balance out the [[prizes (qualities) and punishments (risks) of pursuing a Worthy Goal]] > [! idea] Worthy Goal Worth Committing To > Worthy Goal = Status Quo Punishments > Status Quo Prizes + Journey Prizes > Journey Punishments ## Cross the Threshold ## Connections to Other Materials # Personal Reflection & Application --- # Other References TBR:: 🔖The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks (GR) TBR:: 🔖 Manifesto for a Moral Revolution: Practices to Build a Better World by Jacqueline Novogratz (GR) TBR:: 🔖 Novogratz, J. (2020). *What it takes to make change* [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_what_it_takes_to_make_change TBR:: 🔖 Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (GR) TBR:: 🔖 CognitiveEdge. (2010, July 11), *The Cynefin framework* [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8&ab_channel=CognitiveEdge TEL:: [The Cynefin Company](https://thecynefin.co/) previously known as the Cognitive Edge Network TBR:: 🔖 The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Ros and Ben Zander (GR) TBR:: 🔖 A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (GR) TBR:: 🔖 Rebel Wisdom. (2019, May 31). *Robert Kegan: The Evolution of the Self* [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhRNMj6UNYY&ab_channel=RebelWisdom TBR:: 🔖The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development by Robert Kegan (GR) TBR:: 🔖 The Listening Society: A Metamodern Guide to Politics by Hanzi Freinacht (GR) TBR:: 🔖 Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (GR) ## Tags *<small>Created on: 2022-12-03</small>* *<small>Last modified on: NaN</small>*