I Googled the word “stress” the other day and up popped 1,270,000,000 results in 0.62 seconds. The first page of results covered topics such as

• What are the symptoms of stress?
• How does stress affect the body?
• What are 5 emotional signs of stress?
• How does stress happen?
• How can I stop stressing?
• What are the 3 causes of stress?

I further Googled the phrase, “How many people die from stress?” and among the top results of the 552,000,000 results was a statistic that said, “The American Institute of Stress reports 120,000 people die every year as a direct result of work-related stress. Additionally, healthcare costs resulting from work-related stress totals an average of $190 billion a year.” (source)

The age in which we live is most amazing. Literally at our fingertips is a world of knowledge curated on one screen based on any topic we wish to dig into.2 However, the number of people who suffer and die from stress indicate that this wealth of knowledge that is instantly and ubiquitously accessible is not the answer. The problem with stress (and pretty much any other topic) is not for lack of information, but a lack of implementation.

Imagine looking at two cliffs with a valley between. On the cliff to the left is the “Information Cliff”. On the cliff to the right is the “Implementation Cliff”. In the middle between the two cliffs is the gap. It’s an open space that houses the missing link. What we need is a way to bridge the gap between the wealth of information and the power of solid implementation.

I propose a 5-step system for bridging this gap between the available information and your own personal implementation. This system is designed to help you leverage the information for your own personal growth and development.

THE 5-STEP SYSTEM FOR CLARITY AND EXECUTION

Let’s use the example of stress and assume for the moment that you have a real problem with it. Stress is impacting you physically, emotionally, and making your relationships difficult. Let’s further assume you are facing a brand-new year and would really like this new year to be the year you finally overcome stress.

The 5-step system houses two main points: Clarity and Execution. You must first generate clarity on the topic before you can execute with any significance upon the right problem. Clarity involves steps 1, 2, and 5. Execution involves steps 3 and 4. 

The following graphic summarizes the 5-step system of Clarity and Execution:

Let’s now cover each of the 5 steps.

Step 1 to real personal growth: DOWNLOAD

[This is a clarify step.] First, you verbally process everything that's in your head. Get it all out on paper (or the screen). Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or that thoughts must be coherent. Just get everything in your mind out of your mind. This is called "Downloading".

Downloading immediately provides an instant sense of relief because you now know the extent of what's been flying around in your head (at least for the time being). This puts the locus of control back where it belongs - inside of you. Plus, with everything out, you are now positioned to start dividing.

Step 2 to real personal growth: DIVIDE

[This is a clarify step.] Okay, so you can't get anywhere just staring at the sheet of paper (or screen) with all those random thoughts written down. Now, you separate all the thoughts into systems by affinity. This is called "Dividing". For a systematic method that works well with my clients, I use the following 6 systems (think systems in the body that work independently of one another yet work together interrelatedly to make up a healthy human being.) Those systems are:

• Spiritual
• Relational
• Financial
• Emotional
• Physical
• Vocational

The Divide step positions you firmly on the balcony looking over the entire dance floor with all the dance moves categorized.

Step 3 to real personal growth: DISSEMINATE

[This is an execution step.] After Downloading and Dividing, you are ready to map out a journey of execution. This is called "Disseminating". This is where you brainstorm all the possible goals and related actions you could commit to doing so that you move in the direction of fullest learning, growth, and development.

Out of that list, you need to select the 20% of goals that will yield 80% of the difference and make a commitment to act on them. This is because you simply will not have time to implement every idea.

Step 4 to real personal growth: DAILY

[This is an execution step.] No amount of inspiration, intention, or passion will make something you desire become reality. In the end, it will always (repeat, always) come down to the daily walk. So, what do I mean by the walk?

The walk is you acting on the actions you committed to while tackling everything else you must face in life (aka your whirlwind). The walk is the cable that connects you from where you are right now to where you want to be. It's your anchor. It's what keeps you steadily moving forward toward your goals in the midst of the whirlwind.

The walk (or cable) consists of one 90-day sprint after another. A sprint is a 13-week journey. For 12 weeks, you act on the actions, checking in weekly with someone you’ve chosen to keep you true to your commitments. On the 13th week you review and adjust going forward (which is the fifth and final step, Dig).

Step 5 to real personal growth: DIG

[This is a clarify step.] This is where the magic happens. Well, it's all magic, but this is where you solidify your progress. It's where you dig for the gold. When you begin your 90-sprint during the DAILY step, you don’t know what you know after you complete a 90-day sprint. You learned about yourself, your design, your mission. It's a rich amount of information that you can use to parlay into the next 90-sprint.

By taking what you learned and applying it to course correct and create a greater focus on the expression of your design, you are pulling your goals toward you. You're bending time!

CONCLUSION

The powerful thing about the 5-step system is that it is dynamic enough to help you leverage the constant flow and speed of change in life. It’s by no means constrictive. You will learn every day, every week, every month. And with the DIG step, you will deepen your clarity for the purpose of executing effectively.

Along the journey, as you get stuck, you can always engage again in steps 1 & 2, Downloading and Dividing again. The more you download, the more information you have available to propel yourself forward in growth and development (something I call, “The fullest expression of your unique, God-given design.”) Over time, you will see patterns, trends, opportunities, and blind spots you never saw before. Think of this information like a set of “big data” on your life from which you can create your very own personal algorithm of growth.

If this is something you might be interested in looking at in more depth, visit www.servingstrong.com/steps

or contact Scott Couchenour at coach@servingstrong.com 

NOTE: Even in an age of false and misleading news, the numbers of results on any search and the numbers used in the example of stress-related deaths present a staggering illustration of the missing link between the information and the implementation.

ACTION STEP

• Try working with the 5-step system for 30 days and let me know what you think (coach@servingstrong.com)