Am I contemplating properly?

[benny]

I understand that in this work, it basically goes like this: research --> contemplation of ideas --> implementation. Rinse, dry, repeat.

 

I want to make sure that I am contemplating the material properly. Below are three notes I've taken from the latest Actualized video I've watched, How to Become Decisive. My contemplations are written in bold.

 

Any and all feedback appreciated!

 

Example 1

 

• You want to be a big-picture thinker, a strategic thinker, a visionary, and be able to make very important decisions quickly.

What does it mean to be a big-picture thinker?

You want to see clearly the overarching vision for what you want to do and accomplish. This will inform the finer details. You reverse-engineer from the big-picture to create the little-picture details.

It also means considering how your actions affect all other areas of your life, of society, etc. Not just how it affects you, but the broader ecosystem of humanity.

What does it mean to be a strategic thinker?

You deeply consider how you will allocate your resources

You deeply consider the actions you need to execute in order to move you from where you are to where you want to go. You consider and are clear about what consequences those actions will produce.

It means you have a very clear vision of what you want to achieve.

Strategic thinking is essentially big- and little-picture thinking.

It involves honest and accurate assessment of current situation - resources, capabilities. This gives you an accurate starting point, which informs first steps. For example, if you want to build a tech company, but you don't have any money, you're going to need to find investors and raise seed capital. Then you break that down and ask yourself, what do I need to do to secure seed capital for my venture?

Strategic thinking involves critical thinking, reflection, contemplation, introspection, and even intuition. Use all of these when devising your plan forward, as well as your big-picture vision.

 

Example 2

• If you don't make a choice, a choice is made by default. This is a bad way to go.

When you do not make a choice, you'll choose the easier path by default, because you don't have to put any effort into it. The easier path seems to always, or at least almost always, produce much lower quality results. This why indecision destroys lives. Making a decision serves as the impetus for action; it provides the inner spark that spurs you forward towards what you want. It provides a sense of purpose and mission, and if you value integrity, you will be motivated to do what you say you're going to do. Making a decision and sticking with it requires integrity.

Indecision will destroy your life. Decisiveness will be instrumental in building a profound life.

 

Example 3

• It's the bold decisions that provide the opportunities for massive growth

Forces you to exercise resilience. Forces you to face your fears. Forces you to develop greater resourcefulness. Forces self-reliance. Puts you into new experiences where you have to learn new skills, overcome challenges. Forces you to think critically and strategize. Provides focus. Forces you to take massive action. Forces you to take more and more responsibility for your life.

Not only is decisiveness important for a great life, it is decisiveness with regards to the big, bold decisions that will determine the trajectory of your life. These should be carefully considered, then made and stuck to.

[Leo Gura]

9 hours ago, benny said:

it basically goes like this: research --> contemplation of ideas --> implementation.

No.

Contemplation is step #1.

The key is to derive your own answers with as little human bias as possible.

[UnbornTao]

I'd say there's study, contemplation and practice. All three together can be called inquiry or research.

@Leo Gura Study gives you the fertile ground for contemplation. 

[Danioover9000]

@benny

22 hours ago, benny said:

I understand that in this work, it basically goes like this: research --> contemplation of ideas --> implementation. Rinse, dry, repeat.

 

I want to make sure that I am contemplating the material properly. Below are three notes I've taken from the latest Actualized video I've watched, How to Become Decisive. My contemplations are written in bold.

 

Any and all feedback appreciated!

 

Example 1

 

• You want to be a big-picture thinker, a strategic thinker, a visionary, and be able to make very important decisions quickly.

What does it mean to be a big-picture thinker?

You want to see clearly the overarching vision for what you want to do and accomplish. This will inform the finer details. You reverse-engineer from the big-picture to create the little-picture details.

It also means considering how your actions affect all other areas of your life, of society, etc. Not just how it affects you, but the broader ecosystem of humanity.

What does it mean to be a strategic thinker?

You deeply consider how you will allocate your resources

You deeply consider the actions you need to execute in order to move you from where you are to where you want to go. You consider and are clear about what consequences those actions will produce.

It means you have a very clear vision of what you want to achieve.

Strategic thinking is essentially big- and little-picture thinking.

It involves honest and accurate assessment of current situation - resources, capabilities. This gives you an accurate starting point, which informs first steps. For example, if you want to build a tech company, but you don't have any money, you're going to need to find investors and raise seed capital. Then you break that down and ask yourself, what do I need to do to secure seed capital for my venture?

Strategic thinking involves critical thinking, reflection, contemplation, introspection, and even intuition. Use all of these when devising your plan forward, as well as your big-picture vision.

 

Example 2

• If you don't make a choice, a choice is made by default. This is a bad way to go.

When you do not make a choice, you'll choose the easier path by default, because you don't have to put any effort into it. The easier path seems to always, or at least almost always, produce much lower quality results. This why indecision destroys lives. Making a decision serves as the impetus for action; it provides the inner spark that spurs you forward towards what you want. It provides a sense of purpose and mission, and if you value integrity, you will be motivated to do what you say you're going to do. Making a decision and sticking with it requires integrity.

Indecision will destroy your life. Decisiveness will be instrumental in building a profound life.

 

Example 3

• It's the bold decisions that provide the opportunities for massive growth

Forces you to exercise resilience. Forces you to face your fears. Forces you to develop greater resourcefulness. Forces self-reliance. Puts you into new experiences where you have to learn new skills, overcome challenges. Forces you to think critically and strategize. Provides focus. Forces you to take massive action. Forces you to take more and more responsibility for your life.

Not only is decisiveness important for a great life, it is decisiveness with regards to the big, bold decisions that will determine the trajectory of your life. These should be carefully considered, then made and stuck to.

   Yes, but there are some paths I'd like to introduce to you, because your order of research + contemplation of  ideas + implementation, is not the only order. There's also contemplation first, then research of ideas or study of other things related to what you've contemplated, then implementations, as mentioned above. There's also implementation, or taking action first, if you really don't have enough research, information or life experiences, then after accumulation of experiences, comes either more research or contemplation, and vice versa, because your needs some amount of information first to contemplate a bit more, especially if you start branching out those ideas to other fields.

   There's also the possibility of adding more phases to your process. For me in particular, I have a bias against contemplation if it's too logical, so I first start drawing, thumbnail sketches of what I'm contemplating, then I research some more, then I take more action, in this case keep on drawing it and fleshing it out until I have a really good and solid picture, or take that and apply that to some other field.