Un/Learnings
Reflection on Output Patterns
I notice that nearly every time I come to around 80% completion after working diligently on an Output over the course of a week or more, some kind of social and/or project based opportunity will begin to present itself. I will not go into the details of every experience I have had with this here but will note that though I have been aware of this occurrence on a subconsciousness/post-reflective level, I had never tracked my process during its emergence until now. I have now been able to observe this phenomenon over the past week, reflect deeply upon its foundation, while catching myself before again slipping into a pattern of putting the OP aside and leaving it on the back-burner for months before I pick it up again.
By creating the timeline of OP completion, committing to its fulfillment and witnessing the pattern of emergent opportunities arise in real time, I have been able to ground myself and re-establish a solid focus on the task at hand to complete this LIPD by the end of the month. The un/learnings which have branched forth from this, along with others relating to the general experience of creating this project as a whole are as follows:
- I thrive when creating a schedule I can commit to, focusing on the most immediate priorities at hand, re-negotiating timeframes of more recreationally-based engagements, and staying focused on meeting my daily/weekly goals.
- Creating my work-schedule with realistic and well-balanced time-intervals and working in one to two-and-a-half hour segments each day is the most nourishing form of engagement with OP work.
- Utilizing pre-existing design tools, as well as creating my own, are extremely efficient allies when creating an overall format and structure for an output packet, as well as for the organization of information within a given page or section.
- Even though I crave more peer to peer support and connection, I realize that all the information I am searching to find more clarity on regarding OPs and design frameworks, can be found within the instructional pages of the gel site, mahara, and fellow associates' OPs.
World Context
I feel that setting goals, reflecting, and designing a pathway forward aids us in becoming more conscious and self-aware beings. The process of self-reflection, analysis, and inquiry allows us to peel back the layers of habitual patterning which prevent us from embodying our true potential. When we consciously shed what no longer serves us, and live in accordance with the essence residing at our core, we can become vessels for self-transformation, living as expressions of life in-tune with nature, and thus conduits of planetary stewardship. The process of setting goals and intentionally designing a pathway of engagement can help us to evolve personally and professionally. When approaching a project, creating or following pre-existing design systems can help not only to streamline the process but can bring our thinking and implementation to a higher level of function. By integrating the knowledge and experience obtained through the assessment and utilization of a given framework, we develop a greater understanding for the process of design itself, pointing us in the direction of our deeper nature, offering us insight as to how life designs itself and where we as integral co-creators fit into the ever blossoming framework of its manifestation.
OP Process Reflection
Emergence & Matters Arising
Though I have been working diligently to complete this OP over a course of a three week period, the actual commencement of work on my LIPD began a year ago while wrapping up my learning review. According to my first timeline, I originally intended for this OP to be complete and ready for review in October of 2014. Due to the emergence of various projects, events, schedule changes, missing pre-capstone requirements, family needs, house moves, travel opportunities, and community endeavors, I didn't begin a steady workflow on my LIPD until July 2015. Luckily, I designed a template layout on Mahara in March based on the structural outline of Simha Bode's LIPD, giving me a simple format to follow by the time I actually began writing in July.
Template + Information + Organization = Structure = A Well Designed OP
I have found that through utilizing the template formats of other associates' LIPDs, I have been able to organize my information and materials in such a way that the structure and flow of this OP has come together in a more coherent form than any I have assembled previous.
The Adventure Ahead
Challenging Edges & Meeting My Goals
I am excited to challenge my edges by pursuing the timeline I have set for myself, which details the commencement and submission dates of each output in my capstone phase cycle. This is an edge for me because I am not accustomed to planning in such a systematic way over the course of more than a few months for anything, let alone for the completion of Output Packets. I feel empowered to create consistency, transmute distractive tendencies into disciplined focus, and hold myself accountable as I actively experiment with staying on track as a Gaia associate, simultaneously designing my life, pursuing creative projects, and serving as an active participant of community stewardship in my local Island village of Avalon.
Due to recent life experiences and reflective personal insight, I understand more than ever the value of obtaining a university degree in order to further my professional engagement with the greater earth community in service as an integrated and dynamic human capable of sharing presence and offering assistance to the vast network of individuals and organizations committed to creating a more just, sustainable, and fulfilling world for the planet as a whole. Therefore, I am committed to meeting my goal of graduating with my bachelors degree from Gaia U sometime between summer or late fall of next year, 2016.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I am grateful to feel that I have a solid sense of direction, as well as a schedule of engagement, to clarify my commitments and goals along the pathway ahead. I am committed to traveling this capstone year at a consistent and steady pace, allowing room for flexibility, while remaining accountable to the promises I have made to myself to finish this phase in a coherent and timely manner. My greatest accomplishments within the creation of this project have been the timeline map of engagement I intend to follow and the level of consistency I have maintained while writing and assembling the OP itself over a three week period. I plan to carry the confidence and clarity I have gained while designing and creating this OP into the rest of my work in this capstone phase year. I hope this LIPD has been enjoyable to read and brought benefit to your personal learning journey and project pathway. Thank you for reading.