Under-Purposing | Simplify | More Beautiful Question
Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS.
You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach:
Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: an energy (good or bad) word and it’s meaning
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge
LEARN
Something Worth Sharing
Under-Purposing
I'm currently making a wedding cake for a friend. That sentence makes it sound considerably simpler than it is!
If you've ever looked for wedding cake inspiration, you'll know there are almost limitless possibilities. Shapes. Colours. Flowers. Icing. Tiers. Decoration. Styles. Trends. You can disappear down a very large rabbit hole remarkably quickly.
I could have done exactly that - only just stopping myself before I disappeared!
Somewhere along the way, I realised I wasn't really making a wedding cake. My style is to create hand drawn edible decorations and so in truth, I was telling the story of them as a couple, on a cake.
That changed everything.
Suddenly, the question wasn't what should a wedding cake look like? It was what belongs in their story?
The people that matter to them. Things they love. Moments they'll recognise. Little details that might mean nothing to anyone else, but everything to them. Once I knew what the cake was for, it became much easier to decide what belonged on it. I've been thinking about that because we make things incredibly complicated sometimes.
We start with what.
What should I do?
What should this look like?
What should the plan be?
What are my options?
What is everyone else doing?
And every question creates another possibility. Before long we're surrounded by so many options that something relatively straightforward feels impossible. We call it overthinking. Sometimes I wonder whether we're actually under-purposing.
If you think about it, Purpose gives us a filter. When we're clear about why something matters, we don't have to give equal weight to every possibility.
Some things belong. Some most definitely don't. Some might be lovely ideas, but they don't serve what we're actually trying to do.
I realise now that I use this far more than I knew.
When I work with clients, complexity is rarely in short supply. There are people, history, relationships, numbers, plans, problems, opportunities and competing priorities, all demanding attention. We could work on almost anything. The important question is what actually matters. Purpose doesn't magically remove complexity. A complicated situation remains complicated. A wedding cake still has to be baked, assembled and decorated.
But Purpose can stop us adding unnecessary complexity to it. It gives everything else something to organise itself around.
Oh and the cake…no one will ever have, or see a cake like it!
ENERGY
Focusing on an emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s
Simplify
The word comes from the Latin simplex, meaning ‘single, plain or uncomplicated’ and combining form of facere "to make".
So, to simplify literally carries the sense: To make something simpler or more singular.
ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference
Keep Three
Write the thing you're overthinking, stuck or struggling with in the centre of a blank sheet of paper.
At the top of the page write why this is important - identify the purpose. Underline it.
Around the central issue, write everything that's currently surrounding it in your head: ideas, options, tasks, expectations, questions, worries, possibilities.
Now look at each one through the lens of what you wrote at the top and underlined.
Circle the three that most directly serve that purpose. Cross out the rest.
PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)
“What would I most love to simplify?”
This question asks you to notice where complexity is costing you most.
It might be something at work, a decision you've been circling, a relationship, a commitment, or simply an area of life that has accumulated too many moving parts.
Don't start by working out how to simplify it. First identify - and admit to yourself - what you would most love to feel simpler. Naming it is often the first step towards seeing what really matters and what has simply become noise.
This question will be added to the Community Space in the Leapers Club for you to share your thoughts.
SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition, my gratitude or to be celebrated.
Writing It Down
This is my simplification hack…there is something powerful about taking a thought out of your head and putting it onto paper. Writing things down makes them visible - and once we can see what is actually there, we can begin to sort them. This is why I still have an analogue diary!
Are You Busy or Effective?
WHEN: Thursday 24th September
TIME: 12noon (BST)CLICK TO REGISTER
BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me.
This week’s gift is the updated visual for a superb book: A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger.
This is available to you for free (for 7 days) using the code: WHYWHATIF when you check out. Access is via the link / button below.
Please note that if you miss the 7 day offer, we can not extend this for you. You can, however always access the download for a nominal charge.
The artwork featured in this section is all copyrighted and for private use only. If you wish to use these online, in blogs / features or in presentations etc - we are happy to discuss licences. Please get in touch. The downloads do not have watermarks.
If you’d like to discuss having your ideas, business or culture captured visually - you can also let me know via email.
Join The Leapers Club
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A private community space
Dedicated chat areas for focused conversations
Curated non-fiction book recommendations
Themed 90 day self-led Sets with online and downloadable Playbooks
L.E.A.P.S spaces to share your Learn, Energy word, Action, Processing, and Shout Out
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Check in quizzes to deepen reflection
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A simple way to identify where balance exists, where pressure may be building, and where conversations may be needed across a family business.
Complete the quick scorecard and receive a personalised PDF report.
LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis.
I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:
L: what have you learned?
E: what’s your energy / feeling word
A: what’s one thing you need to do?
P: what are you thinking / processing?
S: who or what can you shout out?
