We return to the question of how to ensure that our analysis penetrates deeply…enough.
Here, in this very question, we find a clue! What, actually, does the term “enough” indicate? There are only two levels we require and they’re both quite easy of mind. I’ll explain the phrase “easy of mind” in a moment.
The two levels are thought and action, or, said slightly differently, ideas and decisions.
When you analyze your execution, you are clearly in search for new thoughts and ideas. When you have them, you’ve penetrated deeply enough! Maybe we must emphasize the word “new” here, too, though. Today really is not the same as yesterday. You know the snowflake principle, no two are alike. Have you applied that to time, yet? No two days are alike. They can’t be. When you attempt to penetrate into the forces driving your execution, in its failure or success, you seek today’s understanding, and you seek explicitly to add to yesterday’s understanding. What you don’t want to do is analyze solely to confirm what you already know. And another term to throw in the mix might then be imagination. An unimaginative analysis will not likely be very penetrating.
But clearly, we can’t stop at thoughts and ideas, or even comprehension, or even new, imaginative understanding. Make no mistake, a new idea, a fresh understanding can have the same eye uplifting, awe inspiring, soul moving impact of a cathedral. No question. But, we do get trapped in our minds, and oh so frequently. It is as if the mind/body problem from philosophy takes root inside our very person and ideas, ideas, ideas, lead to no action. So, level two of penetration is clearly required. We must act on our knowledge, and for that we must make decisions.
As in all things human, an “on or off” button helps us understand the challenge. Here, you simply have the terms “will or will not.” Either one is fine, more than fine. What will you do? What will you not do? Answer the question and you’ve made a decision.
So, to engage in penetrating analysis, you must seek, with your imagination, for new understanding, every day. Then, with that new understanding you must make on or off choices about action. If you hit those two levels, you are absolutely a penetrating analyst. I say bravo to you. You are mighty.
Oh, and “easy of mind?” There are no difficult concepts here. The search for new ideas is easy to comprehend. The reality of decision causes no mental reach to follow. Thus, the two levels we require are both easy for your mind to take in, and get. It’s tempting to talk about not so easy of heart, will or consistent application, but I have to wonder. If we break those down, might we find that the difficulties disappear there, too? We’ll have to work on that, won’t we?
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