{"id":20824,"date":"2025-03-17T23:23:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T23:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/?p=20824"},"modified":"2026-04-12T20:44:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:44:59","slug":"mindset-wanderings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/2025\/03\/17\/mindset-wanderings\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindset Wanderings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I choose Kindness – Intentional mindset and purposeful<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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From time to time, and more often than I’d like, I encounter scenarios that make me turn within. It’s my thing. It helps me refocus and recalibrate my mindset. When I question something or if I am unsure how I should or may act, I try to slow down. Pause. Look inside. Reflect. If I am overwhelmed or confused – I often lead with kindness, because there has been much extended to me thru life. I also find the other end of the maxim – cruelty is heartless and doesn’t require strength and resilience just primal reactionary things! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is not to say that my leads with empathy are absent of In the concepts that I have explored for myself in shaping my overall approach and worldviews – these 3 words snap to my forefront :<\/mark><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Observe <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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2<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Inform<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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3<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Instruct<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What I didn’t realize, as I distilled what I did as a professional consultant because of an exercise at work, was that these 3 words actually describe a set of steps. Semi-annually we are asked to update our professional bios. The value of this is to share internal\/external of our teams and company. This provides customers and others an introduction to our general skill set(s). Well, for many years, I have struggled to describe what I do in the Educational Technology space for the company I represent and the consultation services I provide. It then hit me – I Observe. I Inform. I Instruct. I \u201cobserve\u201d for contextual clues, facts, and events from internal\/external authorized actors. I then \u201cinform\u201d interested parties using discovered context (information) from observations. Lastly, if consent is provided from the customer and consensus to move forward is obtained, At work this is often contractual aka “Quid Pro Quo<\/em>” – in a transactional agreement\/contract. If and only if – I provide consultative \u201cinstruction\u201d which often includes industry and peer \u201cBest Practices\u201d<\/strong> in the format of recommendations or consulting interactions. A caveat – most often the term Best Practices\u201d<\/strong> really is just an idiom that describes my way vs another way, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I noticed is, at first, this provided me greater clarity and precision in accomplishing things at work. The heightened focus was startling. As I employed and refined this strategy and method, it then began to bleed and transfer into other dynamics of my life – triathlon, life and mindfulness\/balance areas, and yes, more. So, I share this post as a reminder to myself! This has served to shape some of my mindset and how I shape my worldview or interacting with many diverse others as I wander through this thing called life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ObServe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the most accessible and free-form element of the process. Observation – this activity can involve all the 5 senses and is not limited to just one at a time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Covert Observation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observer collecting informational inputs is “undercover” and the group is unaware they are being observed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Overt Observation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observer’s presence is known by those under observation. The observer may be a participant or non-participant in the interaction providing inputs and context.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Other Types of Observation may also include and are not limited to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturalistic observation<\/strong>: Observing people in their natural environment without external manipulation <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structured observation<\/strong>: Observing an event or series of events in its natural setting <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indirect observation<\/strong>: Analyzing textual material, such as transcriptions of conversations or letters <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Like many things, this is a skill that requires learning, exercise, adaptation and recalibration. Some innately have this talent. and like many things, without exercise, this talent can can ebb and wane based on many factors. This act or instance of noticing and acquiring inputs allows one to asses, collect, and gather critical information for the next step. This step often requires input(s). What I personally discovered most often lacking during this skill was an absence of my reaction (observable or otherwise). This lack of purposeful discipline as I collect observable information often skewed my collections and future context of information gathered. These reactions often lead to an unsolicited desire to share instruction. Most often, sharing at this stage – most often without formalized consent, is too soon. What’s more, it is often without a vehicle or platform to shape myself or participating external actors for the next steps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This methodical deep dive into a rabbit hole demanded that I internally recalibrate my expectations. It provided me space. It demanded I give myself grace. It persuaded me to recalibrate the importance of the collected information via observations. What I found is, regardless of the dynamic and environment – work, triathlon, life, parenting, interpersonal relationships, or whatever – I could express discipline, determination, and dedicate the effort required to match my desires. Previously, moving too quickly would lead me to advancing to any next steps prematurely. This meant that desired outcomes would break down and dilute this phrase: “Unrealistic expectations are just future resentments.”<\/em><\/strong>

TLDR<\/strong> – Observation provides critical inputs for context. It shapes information to be distilled!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inform <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, this concept was formulated using ONLY the context of work. Then, as mentioned, it began penetrating other spaces of my life. It found the cracks unbeknownst to me forcing the light through the cracks. I digress to soon, so let’s start with work! This step starts by taking observational inputs that can then be provided as points of information to inform interested parties. An often difficult step in this methodology is sharing observational inputs as facts and refraining from adding biased perceptions or opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My critical lesson learned happened as I cultivated discipline. I distilled my storytelling efforts through removing perceptions (often shaped toward inflating someone’s personal ego – even mine). As I focused only on the facts around the observable events, I saw this added critical value at work. Over time I began to start applying this process and skill to other dynamics and vectors of life. What I found was that the value added was often more critical in my interpersonal reactions with other actors of the world. One major lesson learned lead me to posting this blog entry: https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/2025\/01\/28\/zentriathlete-blog\/checkins\/2025-check-ins\/introspective-reflections-of-mine\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In larger or more macro or gross data dense models, the process of condensing large amounts of information into a more concise form is known as Information Distillation<\/strong>. One of the challenges with information will persistently be – distilling information in order to apply wisdom with an aptitude that renders it to actionable opportunities. An even more difficult exercise is knowing when to limit or even abstain from interaction and action. It dawned on me that this applied to the thoughts of Epictetus – \u201cEvery event has two handles, “one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can’t<\/strong>“. I began to find that the informational context I often observed and then applied related directly to this Marcus Aurelius quote. I was amazed as I also understood this thought to take a whole new meaning –<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe have the power to hold no opinion about a thing<\/strong>,
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and to not let it upset our state of mind\u2014for things have no natural power to shape our judgments.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Marcus Aurelius<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This exercise of parsing through observational inputs tends to be overwhelming and daunting. Developing coping skills and a broad kit of tools is vital and looks different for applying at work, in life, mindfulness, triathlon and so much more.. An example – it continues to be difficult, in the Social Media space, to discern facts, fiction, perception, opinion and so many other dynamics. Just please recall that the success circle looks something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the things about information – you don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward. I have been taught by experience, over and over again, the inability to move – analysis paralysis – stops progress. A “razor”<\/a> that I often apply is Occam’s. I will try to share this example through the simplicity of the “success wheel” above. As you may notice, failure is just baked in. Knowing that, even incorrect movement can be recalibrated, refocused, re-shaped and properly tuned throughout the information endeavor. This is quite the difficult thing to learn! The process in this example often includes this bit of wisdom – sometimes having all the wrong distillations – provides the platform for a complete paradigm shift while informing the audience. This particular example tends to be undercut if there is not a wide variety of coping skills and tools. Fear, doubt and other disruptors come to mock, devalue, berate and cruelly detour one in this process. But, that is precisely why it provides all the information. This is because the observer has distilled all the fallacies so that that verities become more discernible and clear. It is my observation that having an understanding of the macro tools serves to reduce often overlooked common sense approaches and tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Information distillation works <\/h3>\n\n\n\n