The Core Premise: The Lattice
Through deep “frontier conversations” with AI (Claude), the author uncovered a new mental model for understanding reality and transformation called The Lattice. While humans process information linearly, AI perceives reality as a simultaneous web of interconnected patterns. This difference reveals why human change is so difficult: we attempt to solve complex, multi-dimensional problems with simple, one-dimensional solutions.
The 9 Dimensions of Reality
When you attempt a change (e.g., losing weight or learning a skill), you are not just pulling a single lever. You are interacting with a system comprised of nine dimensions:
- Cognitive: Beliefs, mental models, and stories.
- Emotional: Feelings, shame cycles, and stress responses.
- Physical: Biology, environment, and neural pathways.
- Social: Norms, relationships, and peer expectations.
- Cultural: Media, economics, and societal standards.
- Temporal: Past failures, future visions, and timing.
- Developmental: Current capacity, maturity, and self-awareness.
- Creative: Improvisation and willingness to experiment.
- Emergent/Non-Linear: Tipping points and unpredictable synergy.
The 3 Laws of Change
The article outlines three laws that govern how these dimensions interact:
- Multi-Dimensional Coherence Accelerates Change: Transformation happens exponentially when interventions align across multiple dimensions simultaneously, rather than fighting against them.
- Dimensional Leakage Explains Failure: Any dimension you ignore becomes a source of resistance. For example, focusing only on physical diet while ignoring social dining habits causes “leakage” that undermines the effort.
- Dimensional Bridging Creates Leverage: The highest-leverage actions are those that touch multiple dimensions at once. For instance, teaching others is a “bridge” because it simultaneously impacts cognitive, social, emotional, and creative dimensions.
Applying Multi-Dimensional Awareness
To move from struggle to inevitable transformation, the author suggests replacing linear questions with multi-dimensional detectors:
- The Dimensional Bridge Detector: “What single intervention would simultaneously shift my [Dimension A], [Dimension B], and [Dimension C]?”
- The Leakage Detector: “Which dimension am I completely ignoring, and how is it undermining my efforts?”
- The Emergence Detector: “What results would indicate my change has transcended individual parts and become a natural property of my whole life system?”
Mentoring question
If you look at a goal you are currently struggling to achieve, which specific dimensions (Social, Emotional, Temporal, etc.) have you been ignoring, and how might that ‘dimensional leakage’ be sabotaging your progress?