The Necessary Trifecta of Evolution (Beyond Survival of the Fittest)
Survival of the fittest!
An evolutionary truism for animals, businesses and even each of us. But instead of the binary (and somewhat ominous) option to survive or not… There's more to the book of evolution that we can take a page from if we want to truly evolve ourselves.
Humberto Maturana, Chilean Biologist and author, has spent a lifetime studying evolution, ecosystems and philosophy. He asserts that evolutionary changes are not just random variations in DNA that were destined to succeed or fail... Rather, he posits, change occurs based on three major things.
Environment.
Recurrence.
And time.
If an organism is going to evolve, it needs to interact with an environment over time. All three of those components are necessary, or the status quo prevails (or worse, which I’ll spare you the gory details).
So what does that look like for us? I’m glad you asked!
Environment is the surrounding or conditions in which you operate. As we consider our own evolution, it’s where we live, how we’ve designed our space, what social circles we travel in, where we work, who we work with. All of that’s considered our environment. If you’re curious about what your current environment is producing in you, look in the mirror. You’re here. Think about what environment(s) you’re in… Do they serve you?
Recurrence is the constant interaction we have with the environment. It’s not static. We’re continually engaging, talking, changing and interacting with our environment on an ongoing basis. How are you interacting with your environment on a recurring basis? Is it helping you to grow? Or just more of the same?
And of course evolution takes time. Few things change in an instant. It takes some period of interacting in a changed environment or changed recurrence with that environment to create an evolutionary shift. For how long have you put some of these changes in place? Is it long enough to expect any real change?
My friends and partners at the Autonomy Course shared this framework with me – and no matter how much I’ve pushed the limits to test it, the idea holds. I have evolved by consciously paying attention to these three components (despite sometimes my best efforts otherwise). They’ve just announced a new year-long course starting in April that I’d invite you to check out. If you’re ready for real change, this is the place to start. If you’re interested – send me a note here [EMAIL ME!] and I’ll see if I can work a special discount for you.
We talk a lot about vision and goals and dreams in the #NoMatterWhat Community. And the more I dig into evolution, the more I’m appreciating that the vision we have for ourselves and our businesses doesn’t get realized in a vacuum.
Don’t leave yourself with the constraining options of success or failure alone. To responsibly take steps toward your vision requires coming to terms with your environment, recurrence and time – and how they can support you getting there.