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Stumbling Forward

Contrary to what most experts might say, real progress rarely involves smooth, upward curves. Real progress entails most every type of human experience, including stumbling, stopping, stalling, and even giving up.

Yes, even giving up. We're not nearly as clever as we might hope to be when it comes to designing our roadmaps into the future. Success stories are written ex post facto, after the success has been realized. Of course they might hope to explain what one should do beforehand to engineer success, but they would have to have been written beforehand, then result in success, to be credible testimony.

I'm writing this posting while feeling as though I've accomplished something remarkable. Last week, Amy and I created another Mastering Projects Workshop, and the experience was remarkable. I have not spent too much time post facto fussing about how we managed to create that experience because I'm sure that I have no idea what the real causes might have been for the satisfying result. You see, I've been around the block enough times to distrust cause/effect conclusions.

And I don't want to replicate my past success the next time. My next success will have to exceed my expectations to fully satisfy me, and replicating my past experiences won't cut it.

Daniel Gilbert wrote a very interesting book called Stumbling On Happiness. In it, he explained why it is that people who win the lottery typically end up feeling miserable. The scenario we envision as the source of our happiness is different when we experience it directly. We anticipate selectively, neglecting to consider the effect of all our instant relatives showing up, hat in hand, will have on our satisfaction. The same effect is at work even in our best laid plans.

The progression for me has moved from planful to present. Sure, I take care of the logistical details AND I remember to forget what I couldn't possibly know yet before stepping into another experience. I'm thinking my presence might well be more important contributors to my successes than my planning ever was.

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