I’ve never been able to find a good attribution for the concept of Be Do Have, but my best understanding is that current use arose from est and the Human Potential Movement. At least I heard it from a business consulting group that had its roots in the est world. It’s been traced back to 1912 book at least, The Master Key System
. Perhaps we can simply attribute it to what Stephen Covey called “The Wisdom Literature”.
The idea is that if we embrace mindfulness and living in the eternal Now, we turn the common mode of behavior on its head.
My own best example is buying gear. I love to buy things. Usually it’s photography equipment or outdoors equipment. I really enjoy taking photographs. I love being out in the wilderness, hiking and camping. But like many of us these days, I live an over committed life. I’m focused on getting the groceries, driving the kids to school, meeting my work commitments. Months go by and I realize I haven’t been out in the woods. I haven’t posted a single new image online.
A typical response for me to this frustration is to buy a new camera or new lens in order to take more photos. Or I buy my fourth pair of hiking shoes in order to hike more.The latest is better, lighter perhaps. Or maybe more like the old school boots that I had in school when I was up in the mountains weekend after weekend. If I have those boots, I know I’ll hike more.
The logic is that if I have the photography or outdoor equipment, I will have what I need to do what photographers or hikers do and therefore be a photographer or hiker. In business, having a corner office or VP title will clearly enable you to do what a powerful executive does, and you will be that person of importance. The logic is based on have, be, do. If you have the things, you can do the actions and be the person you want to be.
Maybe the logic is really lacking. It may just be a psychological shortcut- focusing on the lack and acquiring things to avoid confronting the real reasons why I’m not really what I profess to want to be.
The concept of “Be, Do, Have†turns this around. First we reflect on who we want to be. And then start being.
I have to decide to be a photographer, a hiker or a leader. Once I’ve decided who I want to be and assumed that personal identity, it follows that I will do what that person would do. If I decide I want to be a photographer, I will simply do what a photographer does, create images. Obviously part of what a photographer does is to use a camera, but the camera becomes a tool for doing. Finally, I I decide who I want to be, and do what that person would do, I will have what that person should have. In the end, that’s how I’ll have a collection of images, experiences of wilderness or the power and satisfaction of leadership.
This is a mental habit of mine when I’m in conflict and need to decide what to do. I need to ask myself, “Who do I want to be here?†It serves as a cue to evaluate what I really want and frames the decision in the context of real values bigger than the moment. It cuts through the rationalization and avoidance, generally revealing a clear way forward.