Create Your Own 5 Year Plan

Originally published 23 Mar 2014

A goal without a plan is just a wish – Antoine de saint-Exupéry

Creating a 5 year plan is the way to achieve your dreams. A 5 year plan creates purpose and commitment. Earlier I have written about my own plans for the coming year (here, review coming end of this month). Having goals for a year fit perfectly with the 5 year goals, they go into more details, as do your monthly and weekly and daily goals. Before you get to thinking, gosh that sounds like a lot of work, let me tell you a few of the benefits that goal setting can have:

• Decide what is important
• Separate the important things from the irrelevant or distracting things
• Motivate yourself
• Build self-confidence as you achieve goals

Does this not cost me too much time?

Now back to your concerns about time. Each day I take about 5 minutes to write down my goals, a minute during the day to check them off (that always feels great), and again 5 minutes to reflect on what I have achieved that day. The weekly goals (and planning my agenda) take about one hour to complete, and also includes writing a journal entry about the goals. Then 4 times a year I am busy with making or revising my yearly (and if needed 5 year) plans. So the time investment per day would be no more than 20 minutes, i.e. the time it takes to watch the news (and in the words of astronaut Chris Hadfield “there is no news in the truth, and no truth in the news”).

Rule #1 – Focus

This may sound pretty obvious, but having an amazing focus in your goals is how you can 1) decide what is important, and 2) separate the important from the non-important. If all (or almost all) of your actions lead to the achievement of one bigger goal (or mission and vision), only then can you really progress.

To achieve this amazing focus you can do two things. The first is defining your purpose, what is it that you want to have left when you die? How do you want to be remembered? The second is to say “no”, along the road you are presented with many options, most of them will lead you away from your main goal. This can be incredibly difficult, take for instance the case in which you are offered a high paying job that is not perfectly aligned with your main goal, or you have to live on welfare while you are building your own company. Time and time again, the people who can persist through the initial phases of building their dream end up being happier and contributing more to life.

Step #1 – Define Your Mission

All your plans are interlinked, so is your 5 year plan. The 5 year plan sits between your mission and your yearly goals. To define where you want to be in 5 years you first need to define your own mission. To create a mission you must 1) identify your “winning idea”, what is it that you are great at? (your talents) 2) then define the scope you want to have, make it grand and still achievable.

Using a tool by FranklinCovey you can further define and find the parameters that will make your life mission work

• I am at my best when I can learn and learn others things that make them more effective people that can lead others.
• I will try to prevent times when I procrastinate and stop learning.
• I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can figure out new things, help other people, combine information.
• I will find enjoyment in my personal life through writing about leadership and working in committees, and taking some time of to relax.
• I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as helicopter view, combining ideas, decision making, leadership.
• I can do anything I set my mind to. I will build a leadership institute for leaders of all ages and all occupations to take control of their life.
• My life’s journey is an educated man that combines work and fun and has most things figured out so he can face new challenges, I do this for the people I care about like my family and friends, but also other people who are in need of my help, I do this because I believe that with the right tools people can become the leaders of their own life. The results are that more than 1 million people live a more meaningful life.
• I will be a person who has a wife and extended family. That I have done everything in my power to help them, that I have inspired them to do more than sit on their asses. That I have a great character.
• My most important future contribution to others will be give clarity in the struggle for life goals.

I will stop procrastinating and start working on:

• Change drinking and eating habits
• Exercise even more regularly with a purpose
• Be more considerate and take time to reflect

I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:

• Clear life goal and mission
• Focus and trust
• Values and virtues

I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:

• Eat healthy, take time to cook and discover new recipes. Exercise almost daily
• Find rest in knowing that I am contributing to life. Reflect on goals
• Have a meaningful relationship with a significant other and the rest of the people around me
• Have meaningful conversations and interactions with others

 Step #2 – Define your 5 Year Goals

Your 5 year plan will consist of 9 distinct categories, these range from your professional life to what you are going to do with your personal time. For each ask yourself the question: Where do I want to be in 5 years time? On mindtools.com there are more specific questions per category. And feel free to use my post on brainstorming to help define your goals!

• Career – Lead a medium sized company specialized in personal leadership. I have developed multiple courses/books/articles/guides on personal leadership
• Financial – Payed back all my student loans and have been saving 15% of my income, of which the rest sustains a comfortable lifestyle in which I am not bound by worries about money.
• Education – Know about leadership and can thus lead by example. I have continuously kept learning as a lifelong student.
• Family – Living with a loving wife who I recently married. Be seen as a trustworthy family member that can give both comfort and help.
• Artistic – Be comfortable playing the saxophone.
• Attitude – Never procrastinate or worry about the future and live in the now!
• Physical – Continue to have my current physical level whilst becoming older. Eat healthy and consume in moderation.
• Pleasure – Visit cultural sights and meet with friends on a weekly basis. Relax by reading and discussing philosophy. Going on regular vacations.
• Public Service – Create and execute a personal leadership plan for youth/schools.

Step #3 – Plan the Route to Achieving Your 5 Year Goals

Now that you know the end you want to be at, you can start planning how you are going to get there. For finances, what do you have to do, when to start paying of your loans? Or for pleasure, what can you do today to start enjoying yourself. For each goal you can have a different routemap. Some can be reached quite fast and are more something you like to do, others you will have to fight for to achieve.

Always remember that these goals are not set in stone. Goals can change, you can renegotiate them with yourself. At the same moment you do not yet know what opportunities you may come across. Always be reasonable when adjusting your goals. It helps to have someone else give you feedback. Through this you will know when you have set them too high or low.

Making goals and working to achieve them can be a lot of fun. At the same time the task may seem daunting. I will leave you with a question and a quote. The question: What are your 5 year goals and how are you planning to achieve them? The quote:

If you do not know where to begin, start! – FW

References & Further Reading:

1. http://www.franklincovey.com/msb/

2. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_90.htm

3. https://www.missionstatements.com/personal_mission_statements.html

4. http://shenow.org/2013/04/02/how-to-make-a-five-year-plan/

5. http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html

6. http://30thingsbefore30.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/11-create-a-personal-five-year-plan/

7. http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Five-Year-Plan

8. http://lifehacker.com/5988272/why-you-should-revisit-your-five-year-plan

9. http://agilelifestyle.net/5-year-plan

10. http://thinksimplenow.com/happiness/life-on-purpose-15-questions-to-discover-your-personal-mission/

Euthanasia

Originally published 4 May 2016

Currently, I am taking a Coursera (online university courses) on Practical Ethics. Next to lectures and readings the course also consists of writing assignments, this is the second one. In this short essay, I am defending legalized physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. Disclaimer: This essay reflects my opinion as written in April 2014, this may be different from my current opinion.

Should we legalize physician-assisted suicide, along the lines of Oregon’s Dying With Dignity Act? Would you give the same answer if the question were about legalizing voluntary euthanasia, along the lines of legislation in The Netherlands?

John has lived a full life. He has enjoyed the experience of having a loving family, success in his career, and has a legacy to leave behind. But in the last years, and especially the last few months he has been in incredible pain. He is likely to die within a year but has decided he wants to end it now. His physician administers a lethal injection. In the company of his loving wife and children, he says goodbye one last time, and dies with dignity.

The story of John is, outside of The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, only a dream. Voluntary euthanasia (VE), giving lethal injection by a physician, and physician-assisted suicide (PAS), giving a patient the means to end his or her life, are prohibited in most of the world. VE and PAS are both voluntary ways of ending one’s life as decided by a capable person (this article will not, nor wishes to, defend non-voluntary euthanasia). The moral difference lies in that VE is an ‘act’ (e.g. lethal injection) and PAS is an ‘omission’. This essay will defend both VE and PAS, consider counter-arguments and show why these are not substantive.

A competent person should be respected in making autonomous choices, as long as it doesn’t result in harm to others. Therefore a person should have the ability to end life. VE in extension should also be legal. A physician is also autonomous in choosing to assist in VE or PAS. To the same extent the author does acknowledge that based on the same reasoning that when a physician’s morals are counter to that of the patient, a transfer of patient can be made.

A first argument can be made against the ‘active’ killing as done by the physician or the patient. The wrongness of killing however is not there when 1) the person doesn’t want to go on living, 2) it doesn’t deprive the victim of positive experiences in the future, and 3) doesn’t cause grief to the ones that love that person. A related argument concerns the ability of a person to make the first judgment competently. It is true that a person’s perception can be blurred by many medications. This is however 1) not true for all patients, 2) could be decided up-front, and 3) is actively countered by using a cool-down period.

A second argument against voluntary euthanasia states that it is not permissible to act in ways in which bad consequences are foreseen. The ‘doctrine of double effect’ states that this kind of act is only possible when four conditions are met. For our argument the third is of most importance: “the good effect is not achieved by way of the bad, that is, the bad must not be a means to the good”. But as stated above, the act of voluntary euthanasia itself can be regarded as being good, rather than bad. Therefore when no harm is done, the doctrine of double effect has no relevance. Related is the debate between ‘omissions’ and ‘acts’. Some try to argue that the killing of a person is bad, but letting someone die is not. The author argues that the act of killing in itself is not wrong.

A third argument is that with the palliative care of today, voluntary euthanasia is unnecessary. Although recognizing that we have made incredible advances in medical care, palliative care comes with trial and error, and the associated suffering. Palliative care and hospices are also only available to a small proportion of people suffering. Most importantly, some people wish to die without getting the care, to remain autonomous. Non-universality, no guarantee of relief and possible unwanted consequences of palliative care make this a non-substantive counter-argument.

A fourth and final argument is considered with what is called a slippery slope. This effect was made famous by an experiment by Milgram where normal people ended up giving very large doses of shocks (450 volts, which were not real) to another person when each time the voltage increased only by 15 volts. This principle doesn’t apply to voluntary euthanasia. There is a distinct moral line between voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. The former is with consent, doing more good than harm, whilst the latter is without consent, doing more harm than good. Also in practical terms, the amount of VE and PAS have increased the last years in The Netherlands, but have shown no cumulative growth, nor cases of non-voluntary euthanasia.

A person can, and should be allowed to, competently and persistently request, and be allowed to, engage in voluntary euthanasia. All arguments against it have proven futile, and people should, therefore, be allowed to die with dignity.

References & Further Reading:

1. Peter Singer & April Dworetz, Practical Ethics, week 5; Topic 6: Making life and death decisions for infants.  Guest: April Dworetz

2. Peter Singer & April Dworetz, Practical Ethics, week 5; Topic 7: Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.

3. Young, Robert, “Voluntary Euthanasia”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2014/entries/euthanasia-voluntary/

4. Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371. http://wadsworth.cengage.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/0155060678_rathus/ps/ps01.html

Go easy on yourself

(see below, also originally on my site on 4 Jun 2016)

This article originally featured on ayearofproductivity.com. One awesome site I only discovered a week ago and features many posts about topics that I love to read about. But more than productivity, this post is about taking it easy!

I’m in the process of writing everything I learned from being a complete slob last week, but I wanted to share one of the lessons I learned from the experiment before that article goes up: how important it is to take it easy on yourself.

As much as you might value becoming more productive (like I do), I think when you don’t take it easy on yourself in the process you’re not going to appreciate how productive you are in the first place. At the end of the day that’s going to make you a lot less happy, and it will also make all you’ve accomplished mean a lot less. At least that’s what I found. It doesn’t matter how productive you are if you don’t take it easy on yourself along the way.

So I thought I’d write this post as a reminder to make sure you take it easy on yourself, just in case you need the reminder like I sometimes do.

If you’re looking for a spark, here are a few great ways to take it easy on yourself that I’ve unraveled over the last few months:

1. Take more breaks
2. Lower your expectations
3. Adopt these 5 habits that lead to more happiness
4. Meditate
5. Remember to breathe
6. Invest in stress relief strategies that actually work, namely: exercise, meditation, reading, listening to music, going for a nature walk, spending time with people you love, going for a massage, investing in a creative hobby, or attending a religious service

This morning when my alarm clock rang at 5:30, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I knew that I had a big day of writing ahead of me with lots of things to do on the side, and that I wouldn’t have had the energy to take on the day if I woke up at 5:30. So in that admittedly hazy moment I made the decision to sleep in a couple of hours instead of walking around like a zombie all day.

At the time I made that decision to take it easy on myself, but ironically sleeping in is what maximized my productivity for today, because I need as much focus and energy as possible.

That’s not to say that you should always take the path of least resistance; a lot of the time becoming more productive is about doing the harder thing because that is what will benefit you more in the long-run. The harder path is usually the one that provides the greatest return. But along the way, don’t forget to take it easy on yourself. You go out of your way to be nice to your coworkers, boss, family, and significant other–make sure you invest just as much time to love and take it easy on yourself. And like catching up on your sleep, it might even make you more productive in the end.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Originally published 21 Jul 2014

“The ability to kill or capture a man is a relatively simple task compared with changing his mind.” -Richard Cohen

Petty & Cacioppo describe two routes to changing someone’s mind – central versus peripheral – in their elaboration likelihood model

Which route to choose

In a persuasive situation, a person will choose a route based on motivation. If there is high involvement the central route is chosen. If there is low involvement the peripheral route is chosen. Next to – or complementary to – motivation, a person’s route (the level of elaboration) is also dependent on attitude (how you relate yourself to your surroundings – if it is your idea or not) and ability (available cognitive resources – amount of distractions). If the central route is chosen, more strong arguments will be more persuasive. If the peripheral route is chosen more weak arguments will be more persuasive.

Central Route

The central route triggers a cognitive response. A person is left to ponder about the proposition and will consequently form (new) beliefs & attitudes, and behaviour after that. This route is best chosen when a person can relate to the topic, has the ability to consider the arguments, the arguments are strong and there is no superficial information to distract the receiver. A boomerang effect can occur when the receiver disagrees with the arguments proposed.

Peripheral Route

The peripheral route targets a belief change. A person is reached via subliminal (not per se subconscious) messages that tend to enforce (or slightly alter) an existing belief. This route relies on simple cues and environmental factors. There are six types of cues: reciprocation, liking, social proofing, consistency, authority, and scarcity. This route is best chosen when a person neither has the motivation or ability to consider the arguments. 

Examples

1. Peripheral Route – A soda brand hands out samples in a shopping mall (reciprocation – you taste it, you buy it in the store once, you like it)
2. Central Route – A professor tells his students about gravity and demonstrates it by thrown two objects of the same size, but different weights from a platform (strong argument)
3. Peripheral Route – A celebrity recommends a certain fast-food chain (social proofing)

When to Use

The Elaboration Likelihood Model is to be used where you need to persuade your public. Most notably it is used in advertising. It can be used in everything from negotiations (with your children/parents) to presentations. Noted should be that different people at different times need different kinds of persuasion. Sometimes a person has the motivation and favorable attitude, at other times not. It is sometimes best to combine both kinds of cues for maximal effect.

More on the Elaboration Likelihood Model:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065260108602142  – Original article by Petty & Cacioppo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUNJ5ez10OU – Khan Academy Youtube explanation

http://343f11.pbworks.com/w/page/48434220/Elaboration%20Likelihood%20Model%20(ELM) – Further explanation and model

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Originally published 26 Jul 2014

“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.” – Plato

Aristotle took rhetoric apart and defined its three distinct aspects: ethos, pathos, logos. Here is his robust framework:

Rhetoric

According to Aristotle, rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the capacity of writers or speakers to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. In short, we use rhetoric to appeal to an audience and win agreement. To do this we use the ‘Five Canons of Rhetoric’: invention, agreement, style, memory, and delivery. We use these canons via three mechanisms: ethos, pathos, logos.

Ethos

Ethos persuades through the character or projected persona of a person. It relies on credibility and trust in the speaker. The main techniques of ethos are: personal branding, confidence in delivery, and citing credible sources.

Pathos

Pathos persuades by appealing to emotions or imagination. It relies on the emotions and values of the listener. The main techniques of pathos are: stories, inspirational quotes, vivid language.

Logos

Logos persuades via proof, logic, and reason. It relies on logical arguments by the speakers. The main techniques of logos are: structure of the speech, references to studies, and comparisons, analogies, and metaphors.

Examples

1. Every General Practitioner – ethos: the diploma on the wall, or something like this: “As a doctor, I am qualified to tell you that this course of treatment will likely generate the best results.”
2. Robert Kennedy – pathos: when Martin Luther King was shot, Robert Kennedy took the stage – left the notes he got in his pocket – and related to the audience by telling about MLK and how he related because of the loss he experienced himself before. (watch it here)
3. Your Professor – logos: reasoning via the scientific method, e.g. : “Because we can travel around the world we can conclude that it is not flat.”

When to Use

A good speaker or writer tries to use at least two different techniques – a great speaker or writer uses all three. In almost all discourse we want to inform, persuade or motivate another person – in each of these cases the three techniques can be used. Dependent on the audience one or two should receive the emphasis.

More on Ethos, Pathos, Logos:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric – Wiki on Rhetoric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKtQEnERhSY – Introduction to Ethos, Pathos, Logos

http://thelaughlinlab.weebly.com/logosethospathos.html – More on Ethos, Pathos, Logos

http://georgehwilliams.pbworks.com/w/page/14266873/Ethos-Pathos-Logos-The-3-Rhetorical-Appeals – Even more on Ethos, Pathos, Logos

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.html – Rhetoric by Aristotle

Knowledge

Originally published 2 Aug 2014

“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” – Plato

Knowledge has been taken apart many times, I believe it all boils down to the transition from, unaware, through awareness to being able to explain something. The framework below is my very own

Knowledge

I believe that first, we are not aware of what we do not know (unaware). Then when someone introduces a concept, we become aware of it and also (almost immediately) see that we can learn much more about it (being aware of what do you not know). After learning more you can start contributing and help others understand the thing you have studied (to explain it to others). This is my take on knowledge, but there are many other frameworks (listed later).

Unaware

People who are unaware will not know what is out there that they do not know. It makes me think of the proverb ignorance is bliss – that a lack of knowledge results in happiness. Yes, sometimes it is better not to think about things with very negative consequences or know about all the suffering in the world. No, this does not mean that you should not know it is there. Becoming aware of something is not always pleasant, but using it to improve a situation is – and by staying ignorant will only worsen situations.

Aware

People who are aware, are amateurs in the area they have achieved awareness in. A person who just started playing chess knows the rules and can tell what the pieces do. He does not know (and knows he does not know) how to use this data to create winning games. In this phase, people tend to overestimate their level of knowledge, because they do not fully know what they do not know (the “Dunning-Kruger effect”). At the same time he or she does know that by constantly analysing and improving, you can become an expert.

Explain

People who know what there is to know about a subject can be considered experts. A grandmaster (GM) of chess has taken the data, analysed it and turned it into wisdom. With this wisdom he or she can create winning games and new tactics. At the same time, a GM can explain this to the amateurs who are learning chess. Wisdom does not equal being good in explaining something, but they are closely related. And being able to explain your specific knowledge does also not mean you will never have to learn again, between the level ‘explain’ and ‘aware’ there is a constant feedback loop.

Examples

1. Unaware – Most people’s understanding of quantum physics can be qualified as unaware – they have no data
2. Aware – Almost everyone knows what different political parties stand for and what direction they want to take a country in – you have data and can analyze it
3. Explain – Neil DeGrasse Tyson not only knows a lot about astrophysics, he also beautifully conveys and explains it to other people (making them aware)

When to Use

Use this framework to better understand other people. Some things that seem clear as day to you, may be wholly unknown to someone else. If you are aware of something, try and learn more, and after that make other people aware. Also, use this framework in conjunction with other frameworks (listed below) to further analyze where knowledge (or wisdom) comes from.

“… there is no shame in not knowing. The problem arises when irrational thought and attendant behavior fill the vacuum left by ignorance.” – Neil DeGrasse Tyson

More on Knowledge:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_order_thinking_skills – Wiki on Bloom’s model

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTvcpdfGUtQ – Vsauce on Youtube about knowledge (and not knowing)

http://www.slideshare.net/marimar27/comprehension-and-levels-of-comprehension – Slideshare on comprehension

Law of the Lid

Originally posted 11 August 2014

“They were efficient managers. But they were not leaders.” – John C. Maxwell

Leadership and management together define the effectiveness of an organization. Together they form the following 2×2 matrix, based on The Law of the Lid

The Law of the Lid

John C. Maxwell states that leadership ability is the lid, or cap, on your organization’s capacity to become effective. Why? You may ask. Because dedication to success (operational excellence) is easy to achieve. Developing leaders is underappreciated and more difficult.

At the same time, it is a multiplier, wherein the lower bar an increase in management will increase your effectiveness by 4 units, an increase in leadership will add 8. In the upper left the exact opposite is happening, but this scenario is quite uncommon for reasons explained below.

Management

Success dedication, or management, determines how good a strategy can be executed. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Maxwell explains how the McDonald brothers were great at building their restaurant business, but not in starting the franchises that make it such an international success.

On a more personal level it means that no matter how good you are at executing your tasks and organizing your work – without leadership you will never achieve more than possible by one single person.

Leadership

Leadership ability determines what strategy needs to be followed. In The Effective Executive, Drucker explains how a leader is the decision maker within an organization. It is up to a leader to make the right decisions, at the right time. A leader makes people believe in a vision, and rigorously works to turn this vision into a reality. Where leadership is lacking teams lose, where leadership is lacking you need to improve your leadership or make way for new leadership.

Examples

1. Bad Leadership, Good Management – Kodak in the past – it was able to be the most efficient in producing camera’s but were too late to profit from the switch to digital camera’s
2. Good Leadership, Bad Management – Imagine a visionary within solar energy who forgets that he has to deal with governments, rules, and regulations and loses because of details
3. Good Leadership, Good Management – Elon Musk has a vision, he knows what he wants to change, he leads effective teams and shows how together both aspects can lead to 100% efficiency

When to Use

Use this framework to evaluate your own effectiveness. Is your organization (team/group/family) listening to you, and are you taking the right route? Determine where you are still slacking and use the matrix to define where you first need to improve (the area that has the most impact). Use the framework in conjunction with the remaining 20 laws of leadership and you will be guaranteed to become more effective.

“That is why in times of trouble, organizations naturally look for new leadership.” – John C. Maxwell

More on The Law of the Lid:

http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-law-of-the-lid – Blog by Maxwell on The Law of the Lid

http://savvychicksmedia.com/topic/business/maxwells-law-law-lid/ – Blog on The Law of the Lid

http://www.slideshare.net/easyyears/law-of-the-lid-9000274 – Slideshare on The Law of the Lid