Control (noun)

The remote control is a very important piece of technology in most homes. The other day at my house, one of them went temporarily missing and a somewhat inspired search ensued — no remote means no TV, and that’s a problem. One I guess would be a problem for most of us.

Michaele and I have been focusing our writing efforts over the last few months on gratitude, then optimism, with a strong push toward setting our intention for the coming year. These efforts led to a lot of new content on the website, and led to the creation of the Intention Workshop. Now, we intend on putting our collective energy into the skill of control. Let’s see where this takes us!

The word control has a number of definitions when you look it up in the dictionary. It can be either a noun or a verb. Here’s what I got with a web search:

Since we are talking about Agile Best Self, I am going to focus on the noun definitions. Why? Just consult my favorite Agile Best Self Principle 8 yet again:

Since we are talking about building skills, we should look at the noun definitions, as opposed to the ones for the verb. That means that control is something we can be — we can be in control. The first definition works best in our context — the power to influence or direct OUR OWN behavior in the course of events. Something that is fully within our control.

Using the skill of control, I think this can be a powerful tool in working on our intention. Think of it as simple as a click of a button on your TV remote. What is one choice I can make today (control) to be more like my stated intention (for me it’s boldness)?

Give this a try with me. Notice how you feel when you commit to being in control of one specific thing today. Then, at the end of the day, note whether or not it helped you be your intention. How was your inner dialogue during the day? How did it impact the resulting outcomes of your day? Did it inspire you to try it again the next day?

As an example, maybe you might choose to apply choose to find ways to apply one of the Agile Best Self Values and Principles to make your day better? Or maybe it’s something else that is more focused on others, like choosing to focus on responding to change over following a plan like in the Agile Manifesto? It could be one of many possible choices. The key to this is that it is something that is fully within your ability to control.

My hope is this little habit will help you connect with your intention every day, and more days than not you get to experience what comes with being your intention. I look forward to exploring the skill of control in the coming days.

Copyright © 2018 – 2023 Michaele Gardner and Brian Hackerson