When all else fails look to the system

Systems are powerful elements of our lives that go largely unnoticed. They are ignored because they are subtle, hidden, and lack emotional shock.

Instead we focus our attention on events. Events are attention-grabbing. They pull us in with emotional shock. When something happens that is different from the norm, our curiosity awakens.

But this has misled humans for our entire existence. It helps in many areas of our survival. It gives us an immediate jolt of energy to run from danger. It alerts us when something seems off.

But it stops short of giving us understanding. Instead of comprehending what is happening, it gets our attention.

Therefore, we need both in life. We need the immediate jolt of adrenaline when our child starts falling from their stroller. We feel it and react before we can even process what is happening. We instinctively reach out and grab our child to protect him or her from smashing to the ground.

This is referred to as linear thinking. It is simple and direct. It forces our attention. It creates emotion. It usually results in a quick decision.

But going through life without exploring beyond linear thinking will leave a void. There will be misunderstanding all around us. Instead of better understanding the world, we will become more sensitive to events and overreact to every emotional whim.

We won’t notice it, but we will start to use our higher intellect to justify our reaction, not understand why we reacted. Our mental capacity will be ready to jump in and defend at the smallest sign of threat to our ego.

Systems thinking goes beyond event-based thinking. It pushes past linear thinking. It analyzes our ego to understand why we justify poor decisions.

Systems thinking can be the mental tool that we use to finally gain understanding of life. It helps us focus more on the patterns, structure and mental models and less on the emotion of the event.

Instead of living life like the 5 O’Clock news feed, we explore. We become curious. We want to know why. We want explanation.

Through this understanding, we can make better decisions. We can decide our response based on a long-term focus. We don’t have to react to emotional shock and then justify our response.

We can start to build a better response. We can investigate what holds us back and then rework it. We can adjust the system to create a better outcome.

Systems thinking holds the key to self-improvement. It allows us the ability to think beyond the linear, emotional reaction. It helps us to push beyond our emotions. Instead, it puts us in the driver’s seat to control our lives and create the life we desire. We control our emotions. We understand our emotions. We create improvement despite our emotional swings.

This is needed. Life is complex. With that complexity, we need a way to think it through. We need to simplify the complexity. Linear thinking does that by ignoring large swaths of the system. It overvalues emotion.

Systems thinking simplifies the complexity by spotting systems. There are underlying systems driving every aspect of our existence. It is that powerful and prevalent. So, when all else fails, look to the system for answers and understanding. That will provide you with a path forward through the ups and downs of life.