The Strategic Life and Chaotic Measures

It has been my goal to write a blog post every week, but this one has tripped me up a bit. This has been a difficult post to write as I have had some difficulties processing all of this information. I hope this will make some sense.

As a conflict specialist strategy is a topic I regularly research and write about. Strategy is fundamental to dealing with conflict. Without strategy dealing with conflict is essentially a crapshoot. Sometime last month I came across an article in the Harvard Business Review that explained the concept of Strategic Life Planning. I read the article and found that I was not entirely convinced. This is not to say that I thought this concept would not be efficacious; only that something didn’t feel right for me.

I have not always been able to apply grand strategy to my life. I have goals. I have plans. I work my plans toward my goals; and then life happens. When life happens it often leaves you scrambling to reevaluate your goals and plans because you suddenly find those things unachievable. When life happens it can change your entire perspective; some goals and plans seem foolish thereafter and it can leave you scrambling to find a new equilibrium.

Typical business literature seems to me to be stuck in a Copernican (that is, deterministic) concept of the universe. The idea being that reality works like a food recipe: make sure you have the correct ingredients, measure them out correctly, follow the described steps, and 30 minutes later you will have a sumptuous meal. Detours and frolics do not happen in this type of universe; or, at least are not accounted for. There is no contingency plan in the recipe for your electricity going out or your stove malfunctioning.

In a deterministic universe your failures are your own. Outside factors, accidents and contrary incidents are of no importance to your eventual success. You are the master of your own reality. However, that is not how things usually work out in my experience.

For example, I am now quite educated. I have master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees. I did poorly in high school and at that time college was not even a consideration. After high school I enlisted in the army. After leaving the military I started taking college courses with the idea of improving my job prospects. I found that I then liked school. I made extensive plans to earn a degree, listing every course I would need and estimating what electives I could take over the next few years. It was all figured out. Then life happened.

I suddenly found myself a father. My plans fell apart and my priorities changed. Life happened several mores times over the next couple of decades. It took me just over two decades to earn my bachelor’s degree. Then I kept going. I hold these academic titles not because of brilliant planning, but out of sheer obstinance. I had many setbacks and obstacles along the way but I never relinquished the goal of getting my degree(s).

My educational progress was not linear or steady. Detours and frolics were constant in my academic career. It would not be hyperbolic to call my academic career chaotic.

This brings me to the concept of The Chaos Theory of Careers authored by Robert G.l. Pryor and Jim Bright. The chaos theory of careers embraces the fundamental unpredictability and non-linearity of life. It embraces the idea that small changes can have significant and unforeseen consequences, which is a concept in chaos theory known as the butterfly effect.

This tracks better with my experiences of life. Opportunities and plans change, constantly. If you lack the determination and will to achieve a particular goal it will eventually fade away. There is nothing inherently wrong with that; faded goals are usually replaced with new goals that are more in line with updated circumstances.

I think there is utility in the idea of strategic life planning. The concept does not wholly ignore the possibility of setback and detour, but it does treat them as irregularities to be overcome so you can get back to your plan as soon as is feasible. In my estimation, a plan that doesn’t consider chaos and tumult is just wishful thinking.