Creating

CREATING THE RESULTS THAT MATTER TO YOU (Adapted from “The Path of Least Resistance” written by Robert Fritz)

RESULT

• You will learn how to shift from

reacting and responding to circumstances to creating the result you want

CREATING • is bringing about things that are

most important to you in a tangible way: – your dreams – aspirations and – what you truly want your life to be

CREATING • has NOTHING to do with – fixing what does not work or – getting away from something you don’t like or you don’t want, and – it’s NOT problem solving

• is NOT designed to heal you, fix you, or satisfy you

CREATING • is a way in which you can bring your

talents, energies, actions, imagination, reason, intuition and • even love to the creation you desire • Love is generative rather than simply responsive • If you love your creation enough  you will take whatever actions necessary to bring the creation into the world

A deep longing to create resides within the human soul Everyone has an urge to bring something into being that has not existed before except in their imagination

CREATING EXERCISE

Desire Concept

Creation has a life of its own

Vision

Receiving

Bestowing Judgement

Current Reality

Completion

Action Evaluate

Adjust Learn

S T R U C T U R A L

T E N S I O N

People are by nature creators but very few have been trained to create

Experience while • • • • •

CREATING Involved Focused outwardly Focused in the moment A sense of timelessness A feeling of freedom

• • • • • • •

• A sense of vital energy • A sense of • •

themselves/ independence Life seems important

NOT CREATING Often not involved Focused inwardly Not focused Often under pressure Somewhat oppressed by circumstances Often tired or depleted Unclear sense of themselves Life often seems arbitrary

In the creative process • You never need to misrepresent to

yourself what you think or want • You focus on your REAL opinions and REAL desires when you first conceive of a result • You don’t know whether or not it is possible to create the result • You know only that it seems probable

First Step • A simple question: – What results do you want to create?

• You conceive of the result you want • You don’t know HOW you will GET

THERE • You want what you want whether or not it is possible

Criteria for good end results 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

It is the end result. It is separate from you. It doesn’t have to be created. It is not problem solving. It is what you want independent of whether or not it’s possible. It is driven by desire, not by circumstances. It is clear and specific, rather than vague and unspecific. It can be quantified. It is not an ideal.

Second Step • CHOICE! • Ask the right question: – What end result do you want? • Answer it regardless of the circumstances

•

or any situation You know the answer either rationally or intuitively

• When you make a choice, you focus vast human energy which goes untapped

How to choose • Ask the question “What do you want?” • Don’t limit what you want based on what

you think is possible • Conceive of the whole picture of what you want including the circumstances and choose them all • Ask yourself the test-question: “If I could have it, would I take it?” • If YES, • Formally make your choice

Types of Choices • Primary Choice – about the final result • •

(this is something you want) Secondary Choices – actions in support of the primary choice Fundamental Choice

• • • • •

Essentially different from other choices It’s not about a direct result It’s about a state of being It’s about your general orientation/perspective It’s a foundation of your life-building process

Fundamental Choice • to be the predominant creative force

in your life; • to be true to yourself; • to be free (of fears, negative thoughts and feelings); • to be healthy (mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually).

Fundamental Choice • Once you have made a fundamental

choice  you will naturally organize your primary and secondary choices in concert with the fundamental choice  the level of your involvement becomes self-generating rather than dependent upon circumstances

Third Step: Current Reality • Accurately describing the present conditions is a skill that can be developed • You need to develop the skill of viewing reality objectively

Common Mistakes • Describing only what you don’t like about

the condition • Describing only what you do like about the condition • Making it seem worse than it really is • Making it seem better than it really is • Minimizing how good or bad it is • Imposing how it “should” be on how it really is • Analyzing how it got to be the way it is

Structural Tension LOVE

VISION Result you want to create

TRUTH

Current Reality What you now have

T E N S I O N

SEEKS RESOLUTION

R E S U L T

Structural Tension • Tension can only be resolved in three ways:

1. You can give up what you want (vision). 2. You can misrepresent what you currently 3.

have (current reality). You can create what you want (structural tension – creative tension)

• Tension is structural, not psychological

FOCUS • an important ability in the creative process that can be developed • focusing on

• the result and • what you currently have in relation to the result

• Principle: “Conscious focus creates energy”

Two types of motivation 1. Our actions are motivated either by our circumstances

– Problems, unwanted consequences, conflicts, lack of resources, conflict of interests, pressure from others  REACTING AND RESPONDING (action is either a reaction against or a response to circumstances)

The problem LEADS TO Action to solve the problem LEADS TO Less intensity of the problem LEADS TO Less action to solve the problem LEADS TO The problem remaining

Two types of motivation 1. Our actions are motivated by desire and aspiration

– To bring something into being, to accomplish results that matter, to build something  CREATING (action taken is motivated by desire to achieve an end result)

PROBLEM SOLVING : IS TAKING ACTION TO HAVE SOMETHING GO AWAY – THE PROBLEM

CREATING : IS TAKING ACTION TO HAVE SOMETHING COME INTO BEING – THE CREATION

Tension-Resolution Systems • A structural principle in nature: – tension seeks resolution

• In nature and in our lives there are structures of

– Simple tension-resolution systems – Complex tension-resolution systems

Simple System • Contains one single tension – Tension  – Hungry  – Overweight 

Resolution Eat Not eat

• Two simple systems tied together – Tension – Hungry

 

– Overweight 

Resolution Eat Not eat

• You can’t resolve the tension in these two systems • Resolution in the system increases the tension of the other system – Tension – Hungry

Resolution Eat

– Overweight

Not eat

• On the level of appearance the dieter is taking action to lose weight

• On the level of structure, the actions are designed to resolve structural conflict

Structural Conflict • We have two or more tension-resolution

systems with mutually exclusive points of resolution • The behaviour you see is oscillation over an extended period of time • The underlying structure gives rise to your behaviour • Sometimes it’s easier to diet, sometimes it’s easier to eat

Basic Structure of Structural Conflict • Tension • Desire to have

Resolution Have desired result

• Belief you can’t

Do not have desired

end result

the have what you result want

This structure reinforces fixed patterns of behaviour. It’s common in our lives.

Basic Structure of Structural Conflict • Is formed by two competing tension resolution systems

1. Your desire 2. Your incompatible dominant belief that you can’t have what you desire!

• “Solving” structural conflict: 1. You “give up” your dominant belief 2. You “give up” your desire

• Structural Conflict is NOT resolvable

Compensating Strategies 1. Staying within the area of tolerable conflict 2. Conflict manipulation 3. Willpower manipulation

• You may develop one or more of these strategies  all of them inhibit true creating

Area of tolerable conflict • The goal is equilibrium • Minimize the amplitude of the oscillation • Oscillation creates emotional experiences

(minimize uncomfortable feelings so that they can be tolerated; avoid change; “you don’t rock the boat”; when challenged – move away from conflict) • Behaviour limits aspiration and minimizes loss • Reaching for only the “realistic”

Area of tolerable conflict

Negative Belief

Desire

Conflict Manipulation • You try to “motivate” yourself into action by

– Intensifying the conflict – presenting a “negative” vision (fear, guilt, and pity) or unwanted consequence – Taking action only to reduce pressure and relieve the emotional conflict instead of creating what you want

Conflict Manipulation Negative Consequence

I can’t have what I want

I can’t have what I want

I can have what I want

I can have what I want

Willpower Manipulation • Many people take little or no action unless they “motivate” themselves through – – – –

positive attitudes (“self-manipulation”), positive thinking (“affirmations”, “mantras”), inspiration, exaggerated determination (forcing themselves in compliance with what they wish to see happen) – the structure reinforces powerlessness over time

Willpower Manipulation Negative Belief

Negative Belief

Negative Belief

Desire

Desire

Desire

• Structural conflict is not resolvable • We need another structure that is senior to structural conflict • This NEW structure:

– incorporates structural conflict into itself – transposes a complex structure into a simple structure – it has ONE major tension  with a tendency to completely resolve it in favour of the desired result  STRUCTURAL TENSION

Structural Tension LOVE

VISION Result you want to create

TRUTH

Current Reality What you now have

T E N S I O N

SEEKS RESOLUTION

INCLUDING SOMETIMES STRUCTURAL CONFLICT (Oscillation)

R E S U L T

The pivotal technique • Is used when circumstances are not the way you want them to be

1. Describe where you are 2. Describe where you want to be 3. Once again, formally choose the result you want 4. Move on

 This technique re-establishes STRUCTURAL TENSION