Here's to having a Successful Year (thanks to Autopoiesis).
Unlock the power of self-organization with autopoiesis! 🚀 This fascinating concept refers to the circular nature of living systems' production and reproduction. Embrace autopoiesis in your daily life for a more successful year, with habits, goals, and relationships that adapt and grow with you!
As we embark on a new year, many of us are thinking about how to make this year different from the last. We want to set goals, create routines, and establish habits that will help us achieve our desired outcomes.
However, we can consider the role of autopoiesis in your daily lives. Autopoiesis is a term coined by Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela in the 1970s, which refers to the self-producing or self-organizing processes that occur within living systems.
Understanding Autopoiesis:
At its core, autopoiesis is about the circular nature of self-production and mutual interdependence within living systems. It highlights that living systems are closed systems that produce their own components, which then become part of the system itself. This continuous cycle of production and reproduction allows living systems to maintain their organization and functionality without relying on external sources.
Let's explore how autopoiesis applies to our everyday lives and how it can help us plan for a successful year.
1. Self-Awareness: The first step in applying autopoiesis to everyday living is self-awareness. By understanding our own internal dynamics and processes, we can better navigate the circular nature of self-production within ourself. This self-awareness allows us to identify patterns and habits that may be holding us back and make conscious choices about how to move forward. So spend most of the month of January getting a feel of what your intuition is throwing at you. As you do this, think carefully what the theme of the year could be. Think carefully about your God value. Author Mark Manson describes a God value as the “top of our value hierarchy,” and “the lens through which we interpret all other values.” Our God value is the most important factor by which we decide to choose one thing over another. So what God value will you allow to guide you through the year? That is your theme.
2. Goal Setting: Autopoiesis teaches us that living systems are capable of self-organization and adaptation, which can be applied to goal setting. Instead of setting rigid goals that may not align with our internal dynamics, we can consider setting flexible goals that allow for adjustments as needed. By embracing the circular nature of autopoiesis, we can create a more dynamic and adaptive approach to goal setting. So get rid of those complex lists of what I want to do this year, and replace them with what I could accomplish this year.
3. Habit Building: Autopoietic processes involve the continuous production and reproduction of components within living systems. Similarly, building habits is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort and attention. By embracing this circular nature, we can build habits that are more likely to stick and adapt to changing circumstances. Habits are all about repetition and learning from our attempts. Remember, a habit might not also work for you, so adapt accordingly, that is, learn from your own experimentation. This is also where creativity starts to build a home within you.
4. Time Management: Autopoiesis highlights the interdependence of components within living systems. When it comes to time management, this means recognizing that each task or activity is interconnected with others. By understanding these relationships, we can prioritize tasks and allocate your time more efficiently, allowing for a more productive and balanced daily routine. Last year while exploring ways to recover lost creativity, I came across the concept of a Creative Sweet Spot. Your Creative Sweet Spot is the time and place in which you do your best creative work. Your Creative Sweet Spot is the “big rock” around which you build the rest of your schedule and routines. The best way to manage our creative energy is to first find our best creative energy, then make the most of that energy.
5. Personal Growth: Autopoiesis teaches us that living systems are capable of self-replication and adaptation, which can be applied to personal growth. By embracing the circular nature of autopoiesis, we can cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and improvement, allowing for ongoing personal growth and development. Autopoietic processes involve adaptation in response to changing conditions. In our daily lives, this means being open to change and willing to adapt to new circumstances. This way, we can create a more resilient approach to life that allows for ongoing growth and development. Remember, our edge as a human is not in doing something quickly. No matter how fast we move, a computer can move faster. Our edge as a human is in thinking the thoughts behind the doing. As entrepreneur and investor Naval Ravikant has said, “Earn with your mind, not your time.”
6. Relationship Building: Autopoietic processes involve mutual interdependence within living systems. In our personal relationships, this means recognizing that we are interconnected with others and that the health of one relationship affects the overall well-being of the system. By embracing this interdependence, we can build stronger, more supportive relationships. Examine your wheel of life dimensions and aspire to fix what you could not fix last year as far as relationship health is concerned.
7. Self-Care: Autopoiesis highlights the importance of self-maintenance within living systems. In our daily lives, this means prioritizing self-care activities that allow us to maintain our physical, mental, and emotional health. By embracing the circular nature of autopoiesis, we can create a more sustainable approach to self-care that allows for ongoing renewal and repair. Self-care is closely related to self compassion. Think about relaxation prompts that you could integrate into your daily schedule, and have fun doing them.
As we begin a new year, it's important to remember that success is not just about setting goals and making resolutions. It's about embracing the circular nature of autopoiesis in our daily lives and creating habits, routines, and relationships that allow for ongoing growth and development. By applying the principles of autopoiesis to our everyday living, we can unlock the power of self-organization and adaptation, leading to a more successful year than ever before.
So, embrace the circular nature of autopoiesis and apply it to your daily life. You may be surprised at how much more successful you can be when you approach life with the mindset of a living system. After all, we are part of one.