Profound Basics

Now and again I come across something someone says or writes, that is so basic, yet extremely profound. It’s the kind of statement or comment that stops you in your tracks and forces you to pause and think.?

An example of this is the Triple-A model which Marshall Goldsmith shares in his book: “The Earned Life.” (Penguin Random House 2022)

He was reflecting on fulfillment and what a fulfilled life would be like. In answering this question he shared the Triple A model which I have adapted slightly.?

• Action refers to all the stuff we are doing daily. The tasks we are doing, decisions we are making, and where we are spending our energy.
• Ambition is all the various, multi-faceted goals we have for ourselves, personally, professionally, financially, etc.
• Aspiration is who we want to become, that way of being which is greater than any defined time-bound goals?

Remember the question we are trying to answer? What does a fulfilled life look like?

This is where the magic of the model excited me. I grabbed a sheet of paper and systematically worked through the following questions:

• How do I feel about everything I am busy with here at the start of the year?
• Is what I am doing meaningful, does it add value?
• Do I enjoy what I am doing??
• What decisions about the immediate and longer-term future should I be taking? Am I? If not, why not??
• What are my ambitions for 2024/25??
• How clear am I about what I want to achieve?
• How will this year be different?
• Have I achieved what I set out for 2023?
• What are my aspirations??
• Who am I becoming? Do I love this version of me??
• Do others love and value who I am becoming for them??
• And then the million-dollar question: Are all three of my A’s aligned????

And the outcome??

• I realised that not everything I was doing was enjoyable or meaningful. I was busy more with things I had to do than things I wanted to do.?
• I was not spending enough time on the things that excited me and brought energy.
• I was deliberately delaying taking some important decisions.
• I had forgotten some of my ambitions and had to figure out why. Did circumstances change, or was I just lazy?
• My ambitions for 2024/25 were too vague and needed some laser focus.
• I was not too sure about my aspirations and needed an existential check-in of some sort.
• Finally, it was clear that my Actions, Ambitions, and Aspirations were not fully aligned, hence a sense of disconnect….
• I needed a coach!!?

The story has a happy ending. The Triple-A model was instrumental in helping me be honest about my reflection, ground me, enable important decisions, set boundaries, and be a lot more intentional about aligning what I do, with my ambitions and aspirations.?

It remains a work in progress, yet I’m excited about what the future holds.??

If this story resonates with you, and you find yourself in a similar situation, why not reach out to us? We would love to be a thinking partner with you as you find your unique way of working with the Triple-A Model toward a more fulfilled life!

Crafter by Crispin Swart