Crafting Clarity: 5 Alignment Factors for Project Initiation

 

For this 18th edition of The Distillation, my intention is share 5 key factors to start your project with alignment from the get go.

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Starting something new can feel overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

On one hand, you’re getting idea after idea and they all feel worthy of exploring. You can even taste what it would look like when completed.

On the other hand, all of these insights can overload your system / mind. Sometimes it can get so bad that you may want to scrape the idea altogether.

Converting your loose idea into a concrete project can help you take simple action and make meaningful progress towards your brilliant idea.

Having enough structure will help ease your path of creating the thing you want to create in the world.

In this edition of the Distillation, we’ll discuss 5 factors to consider as you start your project.

They aren’t the only 5 factors, but they will ensure that you start in alignment and take action with that alignment.

When developing a project, understanding your intentions will bring clarity as to what you’re aiming to achieve.

Intentions are more about how you will approach the project, rather than what you expect the outcome to be.

This is very important, because there is only so much in your control in life (a tiny bit really).

This clarity allows us to focus on what we can control and let go of the rest.

Your intentions can be articulated in a single sentence or you can list out 1-3 intentions for your project.

An example from a recent project my friend Jason and I started is:

“Nourishing and empowering creatives, leaders and businesses to become more sovereign. Sparking a movement of free individuals, in community, expressing harmony, magic and transformation.”

Almost always, you won’t know how your intention(s) will be realized. That’s the key is to keep it open and be inquisitive in your approach.

Whenever you get lost during the course of your project, your intentions can be your North Star to guide you back on the path.

Your intentions will likely be broad and open. As we move forward, we’ll zoom in on some more detail.

Once your intentions are established, you can now begin to brainstorm what key objectives you could develop.

The point of these key objectives is to break down the big into small.

This puts your mind at ease. You’ll likely break down the things that you want to experiment with in your project.

This makes it more manageable to take action.

When you break down a project in 3-5 “steps”, beginning is as simple as taking the first step.

To avoid expectations, these key objectives should be input-oriented. Remember, you can’t control a lot, but you can control what actions you take.

How others respond to your action is on them and out of your control.

During this whole process, you can adjust your intentions, key objectives and everything else. You don’t need to be rigid in your approach.

So often we’ll only know what the next step is after we take action on a plan.

The plan can always be adjusted (and absolutely should).

Once you have your intentions and key objectives set, you can actually initiate your project.

Initiations in life have been few in number in the modern era.

For millennia, natives have developed rites of passage or initiations.

A physical act that happens in the external world, that makes an internal shift within oneself.

A common example is when a boy turns into a man, there is often a hunt that the boy must go on.

Only when he returns with an animal, will he be able to be a man in the eyes of the tribe.

The physical act allows the boy to call himself a man in his own mind.

The act of initiating your project is very important.

Once you have officially initiated your project, it’s “alive” in the world and can be acted upon.

This could be with a simple piece of paper or ceremony.

It could be a small meeting with some people to inform them that the project has been initiated.

It doesn’t have to be overly sacred, but bringing sincerity into the process helps solidify in your mind that this project is important to you and worth of using its resources to work on your behalf.

Somewhere along the way, you’ll hit resistance.

It can look like a challenge, not having the energy for it or conflicting internal voices.

Understanding your why can be a potent resource for you to tap into when these moments happen.

Your “why” may be different (or the same) as your intentions.

It may have to do with taking care of your family or those close to you.

It may have to do with leaving your wisdom with others so they can learn from your experience.

It may have to do with finally doing the thing you’ve been saying for years. To give yourself the confidence you know you deserve.

In addition to knowing your why, having some accountability in place will greatly help you maintain momentum.

In those moments you need the most, someone (or a group) can be the motivator to help you get out of your temporary rut.

They can lovingly push you to grow past your current limits.

Often times, when you know someone is checking in, you can feel their support even when they’re not around.

Don’t rely too heavily on these motivators, but have them in your back pocket for when you need it.

Blowing past these barriers can give your project a significant boost (as long as you move through it).

All things come to an end. Part of the story is the end.

So too will your project have an end. Or at least the end of a phase (if it’s connected to something bigger).

A clear ending of your project allows your mind and body to rest in the great work you did.

Your subconscious / Default Mode Network can now divert its energy towards the next project, or simply allowing it to bring forth something intangible like joy.

A clear ending also informs those who may be working with you on the project (if you have a team) that they can focus their efforts on something else.

The clear ending could be a time deadline.

It could also be when you metaphorically cross the finish line. No matter if it takes you 1 month or 4, it’s not about the time.

You get to define the finish line.

Sure, the work is never truly done.

But we can allow the ending of our project close one chapter, while opening up a door for something new.

Birth.

Death.

Rebirth.

Death.

And so goes the cycle.

Ready to take the leap?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take a single sheet of paper and a pencil and write out the 5 different factors for your project you have in mind:

1. Your Intentions (1-3)
2. Key Objectives (3-5)
3. How you will initiate your project
4. Motivators for when you hit resistance
5. Clear Ending of your project

It should all fit on one side of a piece of paper. Good luck!

That’s it for this edition of The Distillation.

Wish you a great rest of your day!

With Joyful Sovereignty,

Lane

P.S. If you enjoyed this edition, share this link on your social media or with a friend who you think would enjoy reading this.

P.P.S. If you haven’t checked out Start The Project, click on this link and take a gander!