CREATINGCREATING

THE RESULTS THAT THE RESULTS THAT MATTER TO YOUMATTER TO YOU

(Adapted from “The Path of Least Resistance” (Adapted from “The Path of Least Resistance” written by Robert Fritz)written by Robert Fritz)

RESULTRESULT

•You will learn how to shift from reacting and responding to circumstances to creating the result you want

CREATINGCREATING

• 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

CREATINGCREATING

•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

CREATINGCREATING

• 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 A deep longing to create resides within the human soulwithin the human soul

Everyone has an urge to bring Everyone has an urge to bring something into being that has not something into being that has not existed before except in their existed before except in their imaginationimagination

CREATING EXERCISECREATING EXERCISE

Desire

Concept

Vision

CurrentReality

Action

Evaluate

LearnAdjust

Completion

BestowingJudgement

Receiving

Creation hasa life of its own

STRUCTURAL

TENSION

People are by nature creatorsPeople are by nature creators

butbut

very few have been trained to createvery few have been trained to create

Experience whileExperience while

CREATINGCREATING• InvolvedInvolved• Focused outwardlyFocused outwardly• Focused in the momentFocused in the moment• A sense of A sense of

timelessnesstimelessness• A feeling of freedomA feeling of freedom

• A sense of vital energyA sense of vital energy• A sense of themselves/ A sense of themselves/

independenceindependence• Life seems importantLife seems important

NOT CREATINGNOT CREATING• Often not involvedOften not involved• Focused inwardlyFocused inwardly• Not focusedNot focused• Often under pressureOften under pressure• Somewhat oppressed Somewhat oppressed

by circumstancesby circumstances• Often tired or depletedOften tired or depleted• Unclear sense of Unclear sense of

themselvesthemselves• Life often seems Life often seems

arbitraryarbitrary

In the creative processIn the creative process

• You never need to misrepresent to You never need to misrepresent to yourself what you think or wantyourself what you think or want

• You focus on your You focus on your REALREAL opinions and opinions and REALREAL desires when you first conceive desires when you first conceive of a resultof a result

• You don’t know whether or not it is You don’t know whether or not it is possible to create the resultpossible to create the result

• You know only that it seems probableYou know only that it seems probable

First Step 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 resultsCriteria for good end results

1. It is the end result.2. It is separate from you.3. It doesn’t have to be created.4. It is not problem solving.5. It is what you want independent of

whether or not it’s possible.6. It is driven by desire, not by

circumstances.7. It is clear and specific, rather than vague

and unspecific. It can be quantified.8. It is not an ideal.

Second Step 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 chooseHow 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 ChoicesTypes 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 ChoiceFundamental Choice

• to be the to be the predominant creative forcepredominant creative force in your life;in your life;

• to be to be true to yourselftrue to yourself;;

• to be to be freefree (of fears, negative (of fears, negative thoughts and feelings);thoughts and feelings);

• to be to be healthyhealthy (mentally, emotionally, (mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually).physically and spiritually).

Fundamental ChoiceFundamental 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 RealityThird 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 MistakesCommon 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 TensionStructural Tension

VISIONResult you wantto create

CurrentRealityWhat you now have

TENSION

RESOLUTION

RESULT

SEEKS

LOVE

TRUTH

Structural TensionStructural 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

have (current reality).3. You can create what you want (structural

tension – creative tension)

• Tension is structural, not psychological

FOCUSFOCUS

•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 motivationTwo 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 problemThe problem

LEADS TOAction to solve the problem

LEADS TOLess intensity of the problem

LEADS TOLess action to solve the problem

LEADS TOThe problem remaining

Two types of motivationTwo 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 SOLVINGPROBLEM SOLVING : :

IS TAKING ACTION TO HAVE SOMETHING GO AWAY

– THE PROBLEM

CREATINGCREATING : :

IS TAKING ACTION TO HAVE SOMETHING COME INTO BEING

– THE CREATION

Tension-Resolution SystemsTension-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 SystemSimple System

• Contains one single tension– Tension Resolution– Hungry Eat– Overweight Not eat

• Two simple systems tied together– Tension Resolution– Hungry Eat – Overweight Not eat

•You can’t resolve the tension in these two systems

•Resolution in the system increases the tension of the other system– Tension Resolution– Hungry 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 ConflictStructural 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 Basic Structure of Structural ConflictConflict

• Tension Resolution• Desire to have Have

end result desired result

• Belief you can’t Do not have the have what you desired result want

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

Basic Structure of Structural Basic Structure of Structural ConflictConflict

• Is formed by two competing tension - resolution systems

1. Your desire2. Your incompatible dominant belief that you

can’t have what you desire!

• “Solving” structural conflict:1. You “give up” your dominant belief2. You “give up” your desire

• Structural Conflict is NOT resolvable

Compensating StrategiesCompensating Strategies

1. Staying within the area of tolerable conflict

2. Conflict manipulation3. Willpower manipulation

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

Area of tolerable conflictArea 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 conflictArea of tolerable conflict

NegativeBelief

Desire

Conflict ManipulationConflict 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 ManipulationConflict Manipulation

Negative Consequence

I can havewhat I want

I can’t havewhat I want

I can’t havewhat I want

I can havewhat I want

Willpower ManipulationWillpower 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 ManipulationWillpower Manipulation

NegativeBelief

Desire

NegativeBelief

NegativeBelief

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 TensionStructural Tension

VISIONResult you wantto create

CurrentRealityWhat you now have

TENSION

RESOLUTION

RESULT

SEEKS

INCLUDING SOMETIMESSTRUCTURAL CONFLICT(Oscillation)

LOVE

TRUTH

The pivotal techniqueThe pivotal technique

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

1. Describe where you are2. Describe where you want to be3. Once again, formally choose the result you

want4. Move on

This technique re-establishes STRUCTURAL TENSION