Make sense of what you can

It’s not possible to understand or make sense of everything ... you know, not everything! When we are understanding, learning and ‘connecting the dots’ about a situation over a period of time, we are making sense ... sense making.

We do it naturally and instinctively but we can also learn and focus on how to do more sensemaking better, sooner, quicker.

There is value and calm for us focusing on the stuff we can make sense of and to not worry so much about the rest... the chaos. As more information comes to hand about a situation, our sense of the situation grows. We know more. We make more sense. The chaos can become a little less chaotic perhaps.

We can’t know everything all at once. It kind of doesn’t work that way. We will see more and differently as more things come to light for us. There's no need to battle all the chaos, all the time.

Join me as we just make sense of the things we can, progressively, bit by bit.

The gallery in your mind

It’s open now ... an exhibition. featuring imagery, clips, videos, snippets, quotes and dramatic headlines and links from all of the stuff you’ve been absorbing lately. 

Oops ... we didn’t realize it but the gallery is now full. And it has not even been curated yet! 

Curation is when the exhibits in a gallery are organised and arranged, identified, sourced and carefully chosen. They present a story, a setting or a theme to gallery visitors as they walk, wander, wonder and experience it all. It flows, makes sense, is a delight. 

It’s time to clean out our current exhibit. 

Time to paint the walls, sweep the floors, and get ready for another newer and fresher exhibition. 

The next one. Let’s make it a better one. 

It’s time to become more of a curator of what you let in to the gallery in your mind. To more carefully choose what you will watch, look at, listen to and absorb. 

We don’t need to let just anything into this gallery of ours. 

More isn’t better. 
More isn’t beautiful. 

Curate, choose and be discerning. It is yours after all. 

This is sensemaking

This is sensemaking. We are 'in it'. Trying to make sense of so many things. 

As we begin to know something ... we 'find out'. Almost like a maze. 

And we think 'that’s it'. 

Then things change. New information comes to hand. 
New information, insights and understanding. 

Because we have more information and experience with that information, we can look back over data, dates and details to connect more dots and make more sense. 

And then we can act again based on what we now know. 

So we're right in it. 
It’s wild, wicked and changing rapidly. 

Keep on making sense as things come to light no matter where you are or what you're doing.  

We are all uncovering, discovering, learning. 

It's this very human activity of trying to 'make sense' of it all. 

Half speed

If you’ve felt busy anxious overwhelmed worried or hyper ... you might be running at twice the speed.

Thinking at 2x

Speaking at 2x

Walking and talking at 2x

Jumping to conclusions at 2x

Interrupting quicker than normal

Getting frustrated sooner than usual

Losing patience quicker than usual.

If and when we experience any of these ‘faster than our normal’ responses or reactions, it’s a great opportunity to take a speed check.

Rather than thinking ‘Oh I need to slow down’, try thinking ‘half speed’.

Half speed.

Half of the current crazy speed of thinking working talking juggling leaping and reacting. At half speed we begin to notice more, we’re tuned in to other people better and things can become clearer for us. It might not *really* be half speed, but it’s an easier mark to reach for.

Is this a new way of thinking for you? Rather than staying busy frantic and overwhelmed, it’s worth slowing down when other things seem to start going faster.

Choose : Curiosity or Fear

As we choose - and we do choose, we don’t have to go where someone or something else takes us - we can begin to think in ways that are helpful and at times, harmful.

We need fear: it keeps us alive. But how much do we need? How do you know when you’ve had enough? At what point is too much fear not good for us?

We have a strong, powerful curiosity bias, a tendency to take on information, to absorb and learn. At what point might we be taking on so much information on a topic that the curiosity ... becomes anxiety and fear? There can be a drive for more more more information: What’s the latest? Where is it at now? What’s happening where?

‘News’ outlets know we think like this. They feed our curiosity bias and they succeed when we can’t get enough of them and keep coming back for ‘more’.

But you don’t have to eat from the feeders.

You have choice: To learn and seek out information that becomes knowledge and insight and then to stop ... so it does not feed anxiety and fear.

Behave how the feeders want you to behave? Or lift up through to curiosity, to get some information and insight and then ... get on with your glorious life.