This is #11 of 12 experiments for the year, offered to get you inspired, thinking creatively, and organized in the pursuit of bold life ambitions of deep personal meaning. (Click on the numbers to read the January through October experiments for 2023: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 , 8, 9, 10.)
“Opportunities are never lost; they go to someone who’s awake and ready to host them attentively.” ― Vincent Okay Nwachukwu
Our experiments to date have focused on your interprize – that grand legacy ambition that fills you with a deep sense of purpose – and how to get it imagined, defined, framed, improved, and pursued with great zest and resilience. In this experiment we will talk about timing. More specifically, along that long arc from sounds like a cool idea to wahoo, break out the champagne!, where are you now along the journey? Once launched how do you continue to push forward and measure progress? Onward!
Stages of Launch
I first got interested in the concepts of life change and purpose while taking extended-learning night courses at San Francisco State University about 15 years ago. The program was called Core Strengths Coaching and one series of classes was led by Joe Murphy on the topic of behavioral change and timing. Giving up bad habits, changing careers, working through relationship challenges, packing up and moving across the planet. These require a lot of energy, commitment, and planning, and so does the serious pursuit of grand life ambitions.
Professor Murphy emphasized the importance of identifying one’s current stage of change so that the chances of advancing, and not suffering relapses along the way, are maximized. He delineated about a dozen stages that I distilled down to 6, each with unique markers of achievement, needs, and risk.
Here are our 6 stages of interprize launch, with links to related experiments we’ve been running this year:
Pre-contemplation: Do I want to pursue a grand (dare we say audacious!) life ambition?
What are the self-doubts, bad habits, and other personal gremlins that are making me unsure?
Helpful tool: The Wheel of Life. (Experiment #1).
Contemplation: What would this pursuit look like?
Write a vivid description of your big dream (and enhance it with other media: personal photos, magazine pictures, music, etc.) and draft a comparison of the costs and benefits.
Helpful tools: Your Eulogy, First Draft (Experiment #2) and Mission Definition (Experiment #3).
Preparation: What do I need to get ready?
Work through your interprize model.
Helpful tools: Identifying your IP (Experiment #4) and the Life Leap Canvas (Experiment #7).
Launch: How do I hit the starter gun?
Implement your plan, develop your interprize, express your brand, and make commitments.
Helpful tools: In addition to the Canvas mentioned above, developing prototypes (Experiment #9) and expressing your brand (Experiment #6).
Improve: Now that I’m out there, how do I continuously improve my interprize?
Validate your legacy ambitions with key stakeholders (starting with yourself, continuously) and iterate changes where necessary. Don’t resist radical pivots if needed.
Helpful tool: The Product-Passion Fit templates (Experiment #5).
Rebound: How do I overcome the setbacks, discouragement, and fatigue?
Adopt a regime of emotional and physical resilience.
Keep a community of fellow interpreneurs (suffering through similar challenges) and supporters.
Helpful tool: embracing the Trinity of Strengths (Experiment #7).
Stages of Launch Experiment:
Regarding the pursuit of your grand ambition, your inteprize:
Identify the stage of launch you are at currently, referring to the 6 stages outlined above.
List (at least) 3 definitive steps you can undertake now to advance to the next stage. Refer to tools from previous experiments, as highlighted, if helpful.
Identify additional resources that will help achieve these steps. Consider:
additional instruction or training.
more practice to elevate your skill level.
more money or other financial support.
additional key equipment.
support staff who can cover the holes in your plan.
any other resources key to advancing your interprize pursuit.
Create a visual time map as illustrated below, listing your stage and resources needed.
As with earlier experiments, work through the experiment, then walk away for an hour or a day. Revisit your work afterward when in different states of mind and update as required.
Interprize Time Map
If you want to know more about the art of interpreneurship and the work we do at the Interprize Group contact us here, or ping me directly at bill@interprizegroup.com.
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