What is wayfinding?

I have questions about how we move forward.

👋🏻 Hello! It’s been a while since I wrote here on Substack.

For the past year, I’ve been focused on the craft of coaching — learning to serve real people in real life. And it’s happening!

Having initiated this practice offline, I am reopening the possibility of using this platform online to explore emerging questions and ideas, refining them into something useful.

Thanks for following along!

—Phil

What is wayfinding?

I love the word, wayfinding. Everyone is finding their way through space and time in some way, aren’t we? Some people are more intentional and/or intense about this pursuit than others — asking hard questions and seeking answers.

As an emerging coach, I’m becoming convinced and committed to answer every question asked with new questions. It’s been an unsettling and extremely effective practice.

In all questions, I’ve observed a pattern. Regardless of where the conversation starts, we will arrive at one — and eventually all — of these pillars:

1. What is true?

2. What is wanted?

3. What is needed?

4. What is next?

These questions are self-referential and appear to be infinitely scalable.

What’s true?

Let’s call this “awareness”, until we have a better word. This is a huge question, and could represent one fact or the total sum of all known history leading to the very moment.

• What’s happening?

• What’s happened?

• What’s available to you?

• What do you see?

• What do you feel?

Does the sequence matter? Maybe. If any is a “first step”, then it might be this one. You cannot take a step from anywhere other than where you are right now, so let’s stand still for a moment and look around. Where are you?

What’s wanted?

Call it “vision”. A description of better. If something within your known universe is unacceptable, this is your opportunity to respond with the image of a better future.

Articulating what we want is hard, but necessary. Be honest with yourself. Trust your God-given intuition and say what you think you want right now.

What’s needed?

Given what we say we want, then what is required? What does it take? There are infinite paths, so pick a few. Chart a course. Play it out.

When confronted with an honest assessment of what’s needed, we may change what we want! Great! The model is working. Welcome not knowing what’s needed, because when you’ve found the end of the known path, then you’ve found the next step by default.

What’s next?

Action. What are you willing to do? What’s the next experiment? Amongst infinite possibilities, what step will you now choose to move you down your chosen path? Taking that step leads us back to a new reality:

What’s true now?

And repeat.

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I love a mental model and this one seems to have some real utility in the real world. Of course, these questions have generated many follow-up questions, sooooooo…. Maybe this will impel me to write more?