3 M's
Mountain
Monastery
Metropolis
First, go to the mountain. It’s the place without distractions, away from everyone. It’s the mental and physical space for both original and creative thoughts to more easily flow. All the deep work is done on the mountain, reading, writing, etc. It’s the creative space where I develop my own ideas, fine-tune my intentions, and discover alignment, or more often, mis-alignment within my mental and physical lives. No texts, no phone calls, no meetings- only open mental space to work on anything.
If we’re not learning or improving our own modes of thinking, we can become stagnant. I constantly want to expose myself to new ideas and new ways of living/thinking which challenge and mold my current views and beliefs.
“Michelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within.” (Art of Possibility, Zander)
Everyday, mindfully chipping away…
After drinking too much of our own Kool-Aid, head for community, the monastery, a place where ideas are able to be shared and worldviews of friends and new acquaintances can be learned from. Here, my own ideas can be challenged and further fine-tuned. Personally, the gym has been a type of modern monastery. A place where I can directly find community, while also having the opportunity to further develop my physical self through training. Our mental and physical worlds are in a constant feedback loop. The better we feel physically, the more clarity we find mentally. The more clarity I find mentally, the easier it becomes to navigate the physical world.
After the mountain and from the monastery, it’s then time to head for the metropolis, the largest and busiest areas of movement and life, where ideas get traded with the world. Nowadays, our devices and social media platforms have become the new town square. There, everyone is sharing, pushing, challenging, and protecting their own ideas and worldviews. The metropolis is where all the top talents not only compete but also collaborate in worldly pursuits towards self-actualization. Ideas and knowledge are only worth as much as they’re able to be challenged and upheld through use, debate and discussion.
The 3 M’s is a creative workflow framework from David Krakauer and the Santa Fe Institute.