I was thinking a bit this week about an old Japanese proverb that goes like this:
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
With everything that we do we have to be able to pull from both sides. We have to plan at a 50,000-foot level and form some sort of picture of what success looks like. And then we have to come down from that height and be willing to do the daily grind work necessary to move towards what we want. I’ve heard the same idea expressed in different ways, for example the ‘Clouds and Dirt’ manifesto from Gary Vaynerchuk or the idea of ‘Artists and Soldiers’ from Safi Bahcall.
The reason we find it so difficult is because most of us heavily favour one or the other.
Some people (like me) are incredibly passionate about big, expansive dreams and plans. I have done more than my fair share of vision exercises and I enjoy that process because the ultra-optimist that I am lives for that stuff. But when it comes to the grind necessary to move a project to completion - I can often get distracted by other things because the work is not as interesting to me as it was before. I struggle to finish what I start.
Others are militant about their ability to take a task set before them and execute it with precision. They love feeling busy and the day-to-day feedback of crossing things off a to-do list or a Kanban board is what they live for. But they never take the time to step back and look at the bigger picture - to see if what they’re working for is actually what they want. Steven Covey said: “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.”
We have to learn to compensate for our personality and force ourselves to spend time in both modes - because otherwise, we risk decision paralysis or mission regret.
I was on a call with a friend who runs his own business a few weeks ago and he mentioned something to me that really shook me. He said that this lockdown period was such a blessing to business owners because it gave them the time and space to really reconsider their strategy and make sure they were heading in the right direction.
This was in direct conflict to many other calls I’d had regarding urgent short-term struggles for survival. Most entrepreneurs are completely in the dirt (‘action’) right now trying to find ways to sustain themselves, but my friend was taking a moment to visit the clouds (‘vision’). Of course, there are very good reasons for the short-term anxiety right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend some time in the clouds as well.
This is even more true for your personal life. I’ve been preaching the value of taking time in solitude during this lockdown and thinking carefully about your life as it is and where you’re trying to go. It is so rare that we get the chance to escape the chaos of normality and have some space to think deeply about what we want for our future.
So make sure that you’re spending time in both modes.
Vision and Action.
Clouds and Dirt.
Artists and Soldiers.
Contact Tracing Apps
I was on the Metro FM morning show this past week talking about contact tracing apps and the related data ethics associated with the current pandemic. It’s a short segment (8 minutes) and you can listen to the podcast recording here if you’re interested.
Personally I think that apps of this sort are going to be a crucial tool as we move towards opening the economy. It’s clear that South Africa can’t sustain a lockdown for much longer, due to the severe economic impact, so this type of technology combined with mass testing has to be the way forward.
New Podcast Episode: Makeup, AI Music and UFOs
On this audio-only episode we discuss COVID-19 contact tracing, newly released UFO footage, the impact of AR on makeup, AI-generated music, intellectual humility and we finally settle the great jingle debate! Join us in the pond!
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube (audio-only)
What I’ve Been Reading:
Books:
I started on ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, widely regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written. It has a 4.22 rating on Goodreads with over 500,000 ratings - that’s insane. I’ve had this on my list for years now and I’m incredibly excited to finally be getting to it.
Continued on ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ by Daniel Kahneman and ‘Discourses’ by Epictetus. Both are not easy reads, so slow going so far.
Articles / Videos:
‘Antarctic SCALE Spring Cruise’ by Michael Daniel. This is actually written by a friend of mine but he doesn’t know that I’m recommending it. This is his reflection on a recent scientific mission he went on to the Antarctic. His wry humour coupled with a clear love of nature makes this a great read. Plus, the photos are simply incredible. This post alone caused me to add the Antarctic to my travel wishlist.
‘Lockdown! The Game!’ by James Veitch. Any description of this video would spoil the fun. Veitch is one of my favourite comedians and this really tickled my funny bone. We could all use a laugh in these times.
That’s it for this week! Thanks again for allowing me into your email inbox, I hope you found something of value here. Keep safe and be kind to yourself.
Barry