Considering Some Existential Personal Viewpoints
I’m one of those people who sometimes like to process thoughts out loud.
In certain contexts, especially with colleagues, I’ve been known to “spitball” ideas without too much forethought.
This is in stark contrast to the way I can be quite thoughtful when choosing my words, taking an extra second or three to be judicious in my word choice, normally in response to a question.
A while back during a peer group call, the leader announced that we’d be trying something new when we reconvened after the summer, and that we would “beta test” a new way of operating together.
I quickly noted that in many ways, “life is a beta test”, and then added this discussion to my “blog ideas” folder to simmer.
Beta Testing
“Beta testing is the second phase of pre-release product and software testing where a near-finished version is given to external real-world users before its official launch.”
pre-release
near-finished
official launch
The key phrases from my perspective are “pre-release”, “near-finished” and “official launch”.
The idea of an official launch certainly conveys a destination that we’re aiming for, and I normally avoid looking at life that way.
See There Is No Destination, from 2018.
“Treating life as a beta test means accepting that you are a work in progress, and that mistakes, setbacks, and unexpected changes are not failures.”
The key words and phrases here are “accepting”, “work in progress” and “not failures”.
He then adds even more good stuff to the already roaring fire, with:
“Instead of waiting until you feel ‘ready,’ ‘finished,’ or ‘perfect,’ the beta-test mindset focuses on continuous iteration, curiosity, and adaptation.”
I love the way this gets to the heart of the journey idea, the fact that it’s a mindset, and that perfection should not be the goal.
The concept of “continuous iteration” is also something that is worthy of further exploration.
At A Glance
The Beta Test Mindset
Tap each card to reveal the shift.
+Shift IAttitude Over Action
“It’s actually much more of an attitude than anything else.” Who I am over what I do.
+Shift IIWork in Progress
“Accepting that you are a work in progress, and that mistakes, setbacks, and unexpected changes are not failures.”
+Shift IIIDon’t Wait for Perfect
“Instead of waiting until you feel ‘ready,’ ‘finished,’ or ‘perfect’… continuous iteration, curiosity, and adaptation.”
+Shift IVConvene Regularly, Productively
“My main overarching goal with such families is to have them continue to Convene Regularly And Productively.”
+Shift VPrepare Early
“Families who prepare for this eventuality long in advance do better than those who avoid this work.”
+The CoreIt’s All Journey
“We don’t want to think about the destination.”
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