From productivity to serenity, part 4: The perpetuum mobile
This article is part four of a series about “Serene Performance”.
We explore a universal framework that helps to achieve progress on your goals while keeping a calm state of mind, putting an end to unproductive stress and hustle.
If you haven’t yet read part 1 of this series, read this first: Part 1.
Let’s recap: What is “Serene Performance”?
Let’s look again at the definition of “serenity”: A state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled – free from stress, disturbance, or anxiety. A deep inner tranquility – a quiet steadiness of mind and spirit, even in the face of challenges.
Serenity can be easy.
It is easy if serenity comes from a state of immobility. Lying on your sofa, eyes half-closed, soft music in the background – you can be very serene very easily.
But if you have ambition, if you want to grow and develop, built something, you want to combine serenity with performance.
Serene Performance is not so straight forward.
It is a process rather than a state.
It is doing rather than lying.
The endless loop of I-O-M
Let us first look at the triad of intention, ownership, and mastery again. The three are intertwined and you can consider them connected in a loop.
In the previous blog posts we have explored what happens when one or two of the three are missing. Let’s now consider their interrelations, how they reinforce and reinform each other once you get cautious of your behavioral patterns.
Very often, we don’t know what we want. We might know what we don’t want (anymore), but what we want instead remains unclear.
“I’m DONE with this relationship! – But should you really get a divorce?”
In other cases, we think we know what we want, but this choice has come from an external source.
You are in your 30s now, so you want to own a house. Because this is what “one” does, right?
But somehow, deep insight, all your efforts feel slightly off. You work hard, but it just doesn’t feel right.
It’s time to own your intentions.
You might need to take a step back to figure out what this means.
Let’s take a closer look at all the three ingredients of Serene Performance. They seem clear from the outside, but they might need some work on the inside.
Intention is easy. It’s “What I want”.
Consider your current intention. Is it really about what you want? Maybe your intention is rather…
- What you … think you … want.
- What you … should … want.
- What … others expect you to … want.
- What … one your age … wants.
- What … you deserve.
- What you … were sure you … wanted.
- What you … wanted … 10 years ago.
- What you … want to … want.
If you are honest with yourself, you might find that there is a foreign passenger, a stowaway riding along with your intention. Who is your stowaway?
Ownership – easy again…?
You are a grownup, a responsible adult. Of course you take ownership.
Taking ownership, as a first step, means taking ownership about your intentions. It is aligning your actions with your authentic self. It is about being true to yourself.
- Own your personality.
- Acknowledge your dreams.
- Be honest with yourself.
- Bear the pain of misfitting.
- Stop being a victim.
- Own your destiny.
- Do the work required to change what’s not working.
- Act.
What is it you must own? And how do you do it – if some strong forces keep you hostage in your state of victimhood? How do you learn to escape this place of being?
This gets us to mastery.
By now you are suspicious. Maybe that one neither is as easy as you think?
Mastery implies a rare skill, an ability, something to show. Mastery can also mean knowledge, wisdom, something to share. Mastery must be earned and learned, sometimes requires a long time to hone your craft.
This is all true.
But sometimes mastery is internal, invisible. The mastery you need can be one of subtraction, instead of addition. The mastery you need might be about simplicity, about honesty. Mastery might mean…
- Letting go – things, thoughts, your world views, even people.
- Standing upright, shoulders wide. Bearing the spotlight, the eyes looking at you.
- Speaking up – for yourself, for others.
- Overcoming discomfort – doing it despite adversity. Because of adversity.
- Breaking free from what is expected of you and doing what is necessary instead.
- Being honest to yourself and acknowledge your intention.
And this is the start of the experimental vortex of Serene Performance.
Stepping up: The horizons of I-O-M
Let us go one step further in our exploration of Serene Performance. By now, we have looked at I-O-M in a one-dimensional loop.
But life is complicated. You can do only so much to simplify. There are different levels of significance and impact, so how would this framework apply to life’s complex nature?
Your inner self, your family, work, the world – how can this vortex be used at your different levels of involvement?
What if conscious considerations of intention, ownership, and mastery don’t lead to the results you want? What if you feel you’ve tried everything, worked on your mindset, and still don’t get the results you want?
Maybe it’s time to step up and redefine the scope of your considerations.
Maybe it’s time to widen your perspective – the lens through which you view the world.
You’ve worked on your behaviors. Maybe you need to question your beliefs.
You’ve tackled your beliefs. Maybe you need to work on your identity.
You’ve gotten clear on your identity. Maybe you need to work on your purpose.
This way, your work on I-O-M will accelerate and begin to impact your whole life: clarifying your desired position in the world and helping you explore what you want to contribute to the bigger picture.
This brings us back to our previous exploration of small action versus big action which we explored in an earlier article in our series on Serene Performance.
Let’s take a closer look to illustrate, expanding on our fun example of the ladybird on the street and unpack the different lenses you could apply to this situation.
| Level | Intention | Ownership | Mastery |
| MICRO | Save one ladybird | Carry it to the other side | Be gentle to not hurt the ladybird |
| MESO | Save some animals | Build a wildlife bridge | Local political lobbying, storytelling, endurance despite setbacks, fund raising, project development |
| MACRO | Save all regional wildlife | Found and lead an organization | Leadership, public speaking, dealing with rejection and adversity, managing your energy |
| GIGA | Save all nature | Lead a global movement | Global economic and political influence and power, the sacrifice of your private life |
Achieving great things is possible. They come at a cost, though. It might take some hard work and some major growth on your side to master what is required to do them.
It’s up to you to decide whether they are worth the effort – you’ll need to manage the tradeoff between impact and ease of application.
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