This is just a short post to share some thoughts I had this morning – that my life is better with CF in it.
Two interpretations occur to me:
The first is longer-term and about using the ideas in CF. I’ve invented/designed two distinct (significant) systems now that I would not have conceived without CF (and I really do mean CF and not just CR/Oism/Goldratt). But this isn’t what I was thinking about this morning; I can still use CF ideas when CF isn’t ‘in my life’ in the second sense.
The second is more the day-to-day: am I reading the forum and Elliot’s posts, etc?
I have had an off-again-on-again relationship with being part of the CF community over the last like 9 years (it began when Alan emailed me about this post). On the whole that might not have been ideal, but it has provided a comparison between the times I’ve been present and the times I’ve been away.
When I’m away from CF, my life is less structured, I’m less open to new ideas, I treat people worse (not universally, but the outlier cases are more extreme), I’m more judgmental, less considered, more volatile, and less conscientious.
When I spend time here, though, I think I behave more in line with my values and I like myself more. I’m both more optimistic and more realistic. I seek out criticism more readily, and I am less attached to my ideas. I think about the things I like to think about more, or at least the time I spend thinking about those things is better spent – the thoughts and mindset are better. I have a greater sense of humility, too – something that only started developing properly during tutoring and it’s something I’ve become protective of.
It’s taken me a long time to get to this point (and, ofc, this is only the beginning), but I’m glad I’ve stuck with it.