The last article explored why you might want to have a 'Life Theory' built from 5 Sights and Convictions, to help uncover what’s most salient and important about where we have come from, where we are and where we want to do.
But what is needed is a way of capturing all those ideas in a tangible, practical way that you can use day in day out: the simplest way I have found is to create a ‘Life Theory Statement’, which tells a logical, compelling story.
Because it flows like a story you can see if it makes sense, and also if it has meaning to you. If it doesn't light the fire and then light the way, it’s not much use.
The Life Theory Statement is born of 8 parts, each which flows to the next, from Hindsight through to how you’ll keep testing and evolving your Life Theory itself. You don’t need to be wedded to the exact wording, you should tweak it to make it feel more you, but it does need to flow logically and capture the key Sights and the actions you will take.
It starts with the hindsight work, where you have looked back, defining what you believe to be the most important stuff from your previous experiences:
1. Where I’ve been (Hindsight)
“My journey so far has taught me ___, ___, with highs of ___ and lows of ___. And I carry the memory of ___ as fuel.”
It then moves into what your future could look like. This doesn’t necessarily have to be big, radical ‘'Explore' (from Exploit vs Explore Life Strategy Model) type things, it could be sharpening the saw of what you currently do, it could be a way to double down on what is working best for you now:
2. What I am drawn to (Foresight)
“What I am drawn to is/are ___, ___ shaped by the dream of ___, and the trait/s I most admire in others are ___, ___.”
We then come to what sits at the center of things, what makes you you. This will evolve over time as you do, but much of it stays the same. This is about what you can do (your skills, capabilities), but also what you are like (your personality). The personality part also asks you to define what you don’t like about yourself in terms of traits, this is important for pushing away from these (assuming you want to!) and towards being more of something else:
3. Who I am, what I can do (Insight)
“At my core, I’m someone who can ___, ___, and ___. At my best I am ___, ___and at my worst I can be ___.”
You then define what the future shape of you looks like, and what things need to change in order for those things and that person to emerge:
4. The bridges I must build (Out-sight)
“To live that future, I’ll need to unlearn ___, develop ___, and connect with ___(networks, people).”
Next you look at what can hold this all together so that you can keep living with these changes, in terms of the principles that shape your decisions and the actions systems that mean you can get shit done overtime (your habits, routines, rituals):
5. How I’ll stay the course (Oversight)
“My guiding principles are ___ (aspirational but also restrictive, so red lines: things you will never do), and I’ll keep myself on track by using ___ (systems/habits).”
We then come to the focus. Think of the first 5 areas as foundations stones, this next part is about prioritising what’s most important and doing something about it.
It starts with clarifying your 'To do’ and ‘To be’ Convictions, so things you believe are key to your future fulfillment and success. You may well have a number of these, it asks you to define three but you may end up with one or two.
You’ll see that for each, it asks you to also delineate the benefit, to ask what could this behaviour or way of being deliver for you and those around you:
6. What lights my fire and can also light the way (Convictions)
To Do Convictions (what I want to do more of)
If I was to do ___ → I could achieve ___
If I was to do ___ → I could achieve ___
If I was to do ___ → I could achieve ___
To Be Convictions (what I want to become more of)
If I was to become more ___ → I could unlock ___
If I was to become more ___ → I could unlock ___
If I was to become more ___ → I could unlock ___
You then specify for each of these Convictions, what steps you need to take to: these are usually smaller things that are manageable, to get to them requires breaking down the bigger goal into parts. Then how you will measure your progress and lastly a time constraint, when you’ll check in on this progress:
7. Actions + Steps + Metrics (Living it out for each Conviction)
If I was to do ___ → I could achieve ___
Steps: ___ → ___ → ___
Metric(s): I’ll know I’m progressing if ___
Check-in scheduling: ___
If I was to be more ___ → I could unlock ___
Steps: ___ → ___ → ___
Metric(s): I’ll know I’m progressing if ___
Check-in scheduling ___
Because its a theory, it is always in beta, the above systems are designed to be little experiments you run to test that theory, and be willing and able to evolve the theory itself should that feel right.
This is about giving yourself both the permission and the structure to check what’s working and what’s not, to sense what’s changed in and outside yourself to see if anything significant has happened that requires attention and action:
8. How I’ll keep growing (Always in Beta)
“My Life Theory is always in beta. I’ll informally check in regularly using ___ (journalling) and more formally using ___ (quarterly offsite, yearly review, action partners).
Together these 8 steps allow you to corral insights and ideas from your reflective work into a working model you can use on a daily basis. By writing a Life Theory Statement you have something that you can use to check your focus and check your progress.
It is designed to be a foundation from which a different kind of life might emerge.
The full Life Theory system, Exploit and Explore Life Strategy Model are part of the Breakthrough Book and Course. If you’d like to know more about the next cohort starting in October / November, message me here or at:
breakthroughcourse@saulbetmead.com.