Predicting The Path You Will Inevitably Follow

Level 5: Master Player

Hey! You there, Future Guardian ...

Come sit with me today.

I've got a fresh brewed cup of coffee,

And I want to toss an idea around.

This isn't your "usual" article from me (I put "usual" in quotes because I think I've written enough weird stuff before to not really have a usual, anyway ...)

I just want to chat about some casual subjects.

Like,

You know,

Life and everything.

I can tell you the reason I'm here, in The Guardian Academy, is because I wanted to learn how to intentionally and consciously live and craft the life I desire.

Up until I found TGA, I'd been just ... chasing. Chasing dreams. Running away from nightmares.

You know,

All that good stuff. As you do.

But now I have a few of the keys. Now I know the doors and how to unlock them. To do this thing intentionally. To have the level of inevitability that says I’m always getting what I need to live the life I want and be happy.

The more I explore,

And importantly apply these ideas to life - Engaging the Field¹ - the more they make sense and the more they benefit me.

One of the ways I Engage the Field is by writing (and publishing that writing).

And sometimes,

I have to write about these subjects in a way which is entirely uncertain. Like, I'm "supposed" to step up to this position - as a writer of subjects people intently read in order to gain insight into their life - with at least some level of authority and certainty (right? there's at least a subconscious level of expectation there). My writing should be certain. It should be backed by reason, evidence, proof.

But let me tell you.

Most of the time everything you read from me is a jumbled spill of explorative thoughts as I pull on a singular thread. The more the thread is revealed the more other related ideas come together.

Sometimes I can pull those ideas into a cohesive presentation of something useful and insightful. Sometimes I even have data to back the ideas.

And sometimes,

Like today,

It just seems more appropriate to, instead of presenting a concept like I know what I'm talking about, to say "hey, what do you think about this?"

So today,

Let me present you my ... theory ... of um ... personal clarity? The Clarity Personality Hierarchy Test? The way to know yourself based on your personal clarity inclinations?

I don't know what to call this.

But I think the perspective I have to share can be useful to you in helping clarify the path you're on, so that you may more intentionally craft a life of Full Potential².

Does THAT sound good?

Let me start with my personal perspective.

That's really all I've got.

My assumptions here are anecdotal based on my personal experience.

But, lets try it out and see what we can discover about ourselves today, shall we?

Tactical Obsession

For a time, I was really interested in, obsessed, studied, tested, applied wide ranges and styles of Copywriting tactics. But, the more I studied the tactics in the various Strategies, the more I moved up into application of Principle and Philosophy in those Strategies, the less I found myself deeply interested in and obsessed about the Tactics.

You might look at this and draw a line between tactician and strategist, but what I think I've discovered is this:

Our obsessions and interests tend to mirror the level in the clarity hierarchy which we are most inclined to actively operate within, as well as where we currently are focused.

More than just being obsessed with the tactical application of a tool because that's where my attention is, my natural inclination is more towards principle and philosophy which is why given enough time spent with the tool I naturally gravitated upwards towards that part of the hierarchy.

(I'll explain the hierarchy in a moment, stay with me)

So I see two things happening which may be useful for self reflection.

One. That looking at the things you are currently obsessed with and give your most time and attention in action to can illuminate where you are *now* in the clarity hierarchy.

And

Two. That observing your natural tendency historically and over time toward gravitation to one level or another of the hierarchy can be useful in identifying roles and paths you might take in life.

That's what I want to explore today.

As I said

Totally theoretical. Anecdotal. This is a pattern I see. It's possible it only relates to myself. But I think I see it in others. And I think if I can unravel the pattern and map it to some practical observable aspects of life you might find it useful in navigating your own space, interests, and most importantly where you may best unlock your full potential.

Let's start with that Clarity Hierarchy³. This comes from

Lukas Resheske

⁴ and in TGA we have explored the concept a few times.

The Clarity Hierarchy

The clarity hierarchy looks like this...

Everything falls somewhere in this set of categories (arranged in this specific order and direction):

Philosophy -> Principles -> Strategies -> Tactics -> Tools

Philosophies are things you believe and they almost never change.

Principles are the measurable/provable things you know to be true which are derived from your Philosophies. These rarely change.

Strategies are environments in which you enact your Philosophies and Principles.

Tactics are the actions you use to execute the Strategy.

Tools are what you use to execute the Tactics.

That's the short version. I have and will probably continue to write extensive articles exploring different elements of this (the framework fits very well with how I think about this so it tends to underlay a lot of my perspective).

In addition to the above explanation of the hierarchy,

We also often talk about the split between what you do and why you do it. Strategies, Tactics, and Tools being what you do, and Philosophies and Principles being why you do it.

We also sometimes talk about this in terms of form and function. Strategies, Tactics, and Tools being the Form that you use to serve the Function in your Philosophies and Principles.

(For more thorough, reasoned, and detailed discussions on this concept, please sign up to receive Lukas Resheske's 5 part Clarity Hierarchy training by email here - this is his concept, I just write about it because it integrates so well with how I see and understand things)

In the past I have used this clarity hierarchy as a framework for creating an internal compass in shifting your thoughts on what you do to why you do it.

From Form to Function: How To Think Your Way to Clarity

So much of what we do in TGA comes down to backing out of a hyper focus on what into an understanding that focusing on the ultimate function we desire is going increase the likelihood we get what we want and allow us to live a life of full potential.

In my own writing I often circle back on the concept.

Because intentionally crafting the life that you want often looks, on the outset, like a task of coming up with an idea and then relentlessly heading toward it.

However,

In my personal experience and my observation of all that has been taught and shared in TGA, and those who have gone through the work to apply and adopt those philosophies and principles ...

The path to intentionally crafting the life that you want looks more like letting go of the idea of what you think it's going to be, and instead focusing on yourself in the now.

In that vein,

I postulate that understanding where you are currently on the clarity hierarchy and where you are historically inclined to end up can help you navigate your next best steps towards a life that is best suited for yourself, where you are most likely to unlock your Full Potential.

I gave my example, of once being hyper obsessed and focused on copywriting tactics, but naturally ultimately gravitating toward strategy and principle. And no matter how many times I returned to pushing on the tool and the tactics, I snapped back to philosophy, principle and when necessary strategy.

I can see now that my historical inclination is toward the philosophy end of the clarity hierarchy, which means I'm better suited toward crafting a path of the life i want which has me leveraging that inclination.

And all the time spent forcing myself into the tool and tactic end of the hierarchy, though possibly useful in the short term does not serve the long term goal of the life I desire.

If you disagree or see something different, please argue with me in the comments.

Now,

What would it look like if I had a different level of inclination?

Let's do the opposite.

Let's say that my natural inclination is toward tool and/or tactical specialization.

Those two are easily intertwined since the tool is what is used to execute on the tactic, so it's often a case of that its a little easier to focus on what you are doing and forget that the thing you are using to do the tactic is actually a tool - this is why I consider Copywriting a tool, because it's a particular ... well ... tool for communicating in a particularly tactical way, for an outcome that serves tactics and strategies of a business.

That was a just a little aside,

If I was naturally inclined toward the tool and the tactics, even if I was skilled and knowledgeable in the Strategic application, I might find myself constantly shifting back toward the specific detail oriented nature of the tactic and the tool itself. I might find myself focusing on that tool being used with specific tactics in specific strategies.

It's almost akin to the "man with a hammer" syndrome, where specific technicians tend to always think their tool/tactic is the solution to the problem. A man with a hammer is always looking to hammer some nails in. But perhaps sometimes this is a byproduct of hyper focus on what you're doing and a lack of awareness that there are other options out there.

I'm not certain about that last statement.

When I was early but going deep on the path of mastery in copywriting, starting work as a freelance email copywriter, I definitely took the view that my way of doing things was the best/only way ... however, it also didn't take long for me to back out of that, and undoing my own "man with a hammer" perspective might be a byproduct of my natural inclination toward the philosophical end of the clarity hierarchy.

As I said,

This is all speculative and anecdotal. I can only see my own experience in full, and even if I can observe other people's behaviors, I can't know that this applies to more than just myself.

Perhaps what I'm talking about strikes something in yourself? Do comment below.

I'll continue.

So a person who is inclined toward the tactical and tool end of the hierarchy who finds themselves out of necessity moving into strategy, I would expect them, once familiarizing themselves with a new strategy, to snap back toward focusing on the tactical application of the specific tool within that strategy.

It's hard for me to give an example, because my personal perspective and thought processes oppose that dynamic.

Rather, as an example from my experience, once I figured out techniques which worked in email (an environment/strategy) I naturally wanted to learn why they worked, which took me up into principle and philosophy and then it was an easy natural step to thinking about how the principles and philosophy would be applied to different strategies, and then eventually we get to the tactical application of the tool - but that's the last step to me.

Here's an interesting aside - maybe the direction in which you are likely to think is an indication of your natural inclination?

Do you think up from tools and tactics, or down from philosophy and principle?

Let's bring in some TGA structure here to help pull apart some of these ideas.

The 3 People

In TGA, we identify 3 people/roles you need in order to ultimately create something extraordinary - Cornerman, Mentor, Technician. We have mapped these 3 across the clarity hierarchy. I have already alluded to this where technicians tend to work in the tool/tactic level.

So you have, working from the bottom up:

• Tools / Tactics -- Technicians

• tactics / Strategy / principle (with a heavier weighted focus on Strategy) -- Mentors

• Principle / Philosophy -- Cornerman

A thorough explanation of this can be found in The Three People You Need To Succeed⁵.

The Three People You Need To Succeed

It's an interesting structure to consider and related to what I'm exploring here. There are a couple notable lines:

"most people aren’t clear about what category they fall into - which means they offer or sell themselves as something they’re not."

I feel like that should be self explanatory. If you have a tendency toward principled/strategic thinking (as I do) then while you might be able to sell yourself as a technician, I think what happens (as has been my experience), is you end up charging too little for the value you bring to the table, or you get stuck doing things that are better suited for someone else to be doing (a technician).

Another line that stood out:

"Tools should never drive tactics. Tactics should never drive strategies. Strategies should never determine principles."

And I find this one quite interesting in the context of why it's important to be clear on where you fall in the clarity hierarchy and what your natural inclination is,

Because if your natural inclination is to be a technician, and you find yourself working on strategy, it's quite possible that it is also your inclination to try to derive strategy from the tactics and the tools.

But dear reader,

That's a total guess on my part. Which is perhaps a no no in writing like this. But I'm not trying to be someone with all the answers, rather I'm trying to explore a new understanding that might prove useful to identifying where you best stand in life.

If you find yourself attempting to derive strategy from tactics, it might be a sign that your inclination is toward that end of the hierarchy and you are most suited to be a technician. And if that is your inclination you only do yourself a disservice by attempting to live and operate on the level of strategy, principle and philosophy.

The opposite to tracking whether you derive strategy from tactics of course is whether you tend to derive strategy from principle.

That again might indicate that you are more inclined toward the philosophical end of the hierarchy.

Despite all this wild speculation and exploration,

I have to acknowledge that it is entirely possible for one to shift. After all, I spent several years focusing on the tool and tactical level - it was my natural inclination which shifted me.

Perhaps that's the entire point.

Knowing the shift in yourself that is inevitable can help you craft a path where you are intent-fully operating in the space you’re almost certainly going to end back up in anyway.

Your Natural Inclination

All this came about because I had this realization the other day that my obsession/interest in tactical application of the copywriting tool is at an all time low. The people I used to read/study I give less time and attention to. In the work I do I still use the tool of copywriting, but I have a much broader (and I think more long term effective) perspective on it in a highly principle based approach to using the tool.

Because,

Well,

My natural inclination is toward the philosophy and principles and I can't escape that. Nor should I want to.

I think I just always assumed that I couldn't craft the life I wanted focusing on philosophy and principle. I always assumed that I had to be skilled in applying (or instructing people how to apply) "what to do."

Maybe you've had a similar experience.

Maybe yours is the opposite.

Maybe you can look at your current focus to see what you're working on, then take a look in the rear view mirror to see what your historical inclination along the clarity hierarchy can tell you about the likelihood of where your current path will take you.

Personally, I can say with certainty that if I step back aggressively into a tactical role, I can hold that position for a short time, but the gravity of my personality and the way I do things will pull me back into the principles and philosophies.

It's inevitable.

So,

I'm interested to have conversations about this.

When you look at where you sit now, what you focus on, and your historical inclination, where do you think you fall on the clarity hierarchy?

Do you think what you do now fits well with your natural inclination?

If you identify that you may be inclined to shift in time, what does that mean to what you are currently focusing on, and how might that change your long term vision and goals?

Let's chat.

Hit me up in the comments below.

Be Useful. Be Present. Love the Journey.

Joseph Robertson

, CMO The Guardian Academy

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1. Engage the Field

2. The Phases Of Engaging The Field & "Full Potential"

3. V3 - The Clarity Hierarchy

4. Lukas Resheske

5. The Three People You Need to Succeed