The Infinite Battle: The Art and Science of Becoming

Presented By: Dr. Tony Kern, CEO, Convergent Performance

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

11:00 - 12:00

Life is a battle – or perhaps better stated – a long sequence of interrelated battles, thrust upon us by the world around us, and sometimes, the world within us. Some battles are insignificant, others literally have life and death consequences for ourselves and others.  Some battles we fight alone, others as a part of a team. This has been true throughout human history. 

Although we may be ten or more generations from the days where no tomorrow was available without a fight for food, water and hunting ground, inside us all lies the dormant heart of the warriors who did.

Most of us don’t think like warriors anymore, but all of us face circumstances that may demand it of us, battles of unknown origin, severity, or lethality. Far too often, we see indicators in the form of accident and incident investigations that these battles are being lost. Sadly, most of the victims never even knew they were in a fight, so it’s no wonder they lost.

The most difficult and long-term battle you will ever fight is the one between who you are today, and who you are capable of becoming.  This fight, and the implications from it, never ends. I call it the Infinite Battle. Whether you realize it or not, this battle is being waged within you and upon you.

If you don’t know you are in the battle, and actively and intentionally fighting it every day, you are probably losing. There are many reasons for this we will explore in the Safety Standdown presentation. In a nutshell, it has to do with the natural state of energy called entropy, the natural decline of unattended system towards disorder.

There are two keys to victory in the Infinite Battle. The first is to stay in the fight. The second key is to learn how to win. It’s not about winning every battle but rather learning from every battle to improve your odds of winning the next one, and the one after that. In short, the Infinite Battle is about cascading betterment towards our God-given potential.

The Infinite Battle warrior is always asking the same three questions.

1. Who am I becoming?
2. What can I do now, in the moment with the resources at hand, to become something and someone better than I currently am?
3. How can I do the same for others?

Of course, underlying all of these questions is perhaps the most important one – why? What does it matter who I become? What difference will it make? These are critical questions and ones that must be answered up front, and the focus of my presentation.