A mental model which has really helped me of late is the State > Story > Strategy.
I inscribe the words every day at the top of my journal which sets out my objectives for the day. It acts as a constant reminder and a catalyst, propelling me to align my mental and emotional state, construct empowering narratives, and devise effective strategies.
In this post, I’ll set out each component of this model—State, Story, and Strategy—and explore how they help drive personal growth and achievement.
STATE
The state refers to the mental and emotional condition a person is in. There are two primary states a person can be in:
- Powerful State: This is a proactive, problem-solving mindset. It’s characterised by a winning attitude.
- Victim State: This is a passive mindset where one feels things always happen to them, and they have no control over their circumstances.
For me, here are 4 factors which really drive my state of mind:
- Sleep/rest: Getting at least 7 hours quality sleep in. As I typically awake around 6am, this means getting to bed at c. 10pm
- Physiology: Being active and getting outside. Going for a walk or hike in the sun does wonders for me. “Mood follows action”.
- Gut health: This is critical as it also drives sleep and general energy levels. Eating good food, having a balance diet etc.
- Music: Music really influences my mood
Quote that captures the mindset of someone in a positive state:
I wanted to go on offensive. I wanted to have the time to focus, to learn the things I wanted to learn, to build what I wanted to build, and to really invest in relationships that I wanted to grow, rather than just doing a day of coffee after coffee after coffee.
Chris Sacca
STORY
The story is the narrative that a person tells themselves, and it’s influenced by their state.
- Powerful State Story / Enabling Story: Recognises challenges but also identifies areas of control. For example, acknowledging a lack of flexibility due to insufficient stretching or yoga practice and wanting to make time for exercise.
- Victim State Story / Disabling Story: Attributes challenges to inherent traits or uncontrollable factors. For instance, believing one is naturally inflexible and feeling too tired to exercise at the end of the day.
STRATEGY
Strategy refers to the plan or approach to address challenges. However, the effectiveness of a strategy is influenced by the state and story.
A person with a victim mindset might have a great strategy, but if they lack commitment due to their story, the strategy will fail, or be very narrow in their mindset.
On the other hand, someone in a powerful state will analyse problems in the present, recognise what can and can’t be changed, strategise, and then act with commitment.
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Notes / Borrowed Ideas
- The origins were from a presentation from Tony Robbins. Link to a video where he discusses this here: **https://youtu.be/24ooUBw7mko**
- I first heard about it on the Tim Ferriss podcast. Tim discusses using state-story-strategy in this clip, c. 10 mins 30 secs in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFdR8w_R1HA
