Trust Emergent Outputs
Decisions and transactions are big cogs in the machine that powers the world. Sharpening your thinking and reasoning will help you navigate both of those experiences, but doing so requires looking inward. When you embark on any kind of training or self-development program, you immediately weigh the value of the output with the cost of the input. Pretty standard protocol, right? Those costs can be financial or time-based with time being our most valuable asset. The analysis becomes even more diligent when companies and organizations are funding the aforementioned programs.
What if the output of a transaction isn’t easy to quantify? We choose quantifiable solutions because they are easier to justify. For example, if you pay for a program to learn Spanish, it’s easy to determine the value of that experience. At the end, you can either speak the language or not. If you purchase an online course to learn to code Solidity, the desired end result is to build applications in that programming language, which is demonstrable.
Signifiers can play a dynamic role in how we make decisions. In the business world, certifications signal your expertise within a particular community. While working in the technology industry, I earned certifications that were funded by my employers. They saw the benefit of signaling to the industry that their employees had experience in the field. Even with those certifications, I still wasn’t really able to quantify their value. Did they help me with a client relationship? Did they add to my credibility? It’s hard to tell exactly, but the perceived value was enough to tip the scales to fund those programs.
Being rooted in self-awareness, guided by empathy and driven by curiosity is a collective capability that extends into all aspects of your life. Unlocking this understanding is not difficult, but it takes focus and commitment. Investing that time and energy into a largely unquantifiable output can be hard to justify. What would help to make it easier?
How can you demonstrate progress in the art of knowing yourself? That’s the challenge. It’s not a test you take at the end of a six-week course. It’s revealed over time with focus, good energy and a proven process. If teams within organizations explore this together, it becomes a little easier to experience the results.
The key is to learn to trust emergent outputs. It’s more of an unfolding than a quantifiable verification of knowledge. As it shapes perspective and builds interdisciplinary thinking, it is unique to each individual. As you begin, you may not feel like you are getting anywhere, but soon you will see some sparks. These are the aha moments that seem fleeting initially but become more common. It is the ability to see beyond your defaults and connect meaningfully with the present. It is the ever-building confidence that collects bit by bit until you can apply it to a difficult situation with groundbreaking results. It’s like clearing off the smudge on your reading glasses to reveal a sharper image of the information that is already there. You are refining your antenna infrastructure to capture and process clear signals.
An investment in yourself like this unlocks a way to sift through and connect what you see with how you feel. It’s resting in the awareness that you have a repeatable framework to understand yourself and the world around you. No badge, certificate or signature initials could ever do this kind of learning justice.
If any of this resonates with you, spend the next fifteen minutes writing by hand on a piece of paper. Put your phone and computer away. Don’t listen to the voice that will try to judge you. Just set a timer and capture your thoughts. If nothing else, you’ve managed to give your inner voice a microphone for 1% of your day.
Prefer listening to these ideas and insights? Check out The 52Musings Podcast.
