The Glaser one is easiest to grasp, and is obvious when, in a moving economy, the advice reverberates on Sutton, Zimbardo and others: you [...]]]> The post from O’Reilly titled “Work on stuff that matters” resonated, because, in another dimension, the Milton Glaser essay Ten Things I Have Learned has been going around in my mind.

The Glaser one is easiest to grasp, and is obvious when, in a moving economy, the advice reverberates on Sutton, Zimbardo and others: you are what you do and with whom you do it.

The O’Reilly one is more focused in business, yet at the same time goes back to the fundamentals: Why work in this? Why these values? Why now? Why here?

Yes, Virginia, what you do will change your brain and your mind, and the people around will change your life and your spirit: Pursue light! Pursue meaning! The little toxic test is actually easy

It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished.

In a similar manner, is the work exhausting or rewarding? Does carrying this burden all day create energy and ideas? Does it generate satisfaction and growth?

A lot of people are going to be thinking about this.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

What’s that slippery slope? [...]]]> We all know the famous quote, and whether Lombardi’s or some baseball person it is still valid.
And then, it is the corollary, from Seth Godin

Obsessing about the last inch of follow through ensures that the important parts of what you do get just as much (if not more) commitment.

What’s that slippery slope? That last inch of commitment?
Easy: The PM going home early because, you know, they are the PM. The diminished level of attention given to a problem. The slowly leaking tire.
Correct, complete follow-through won’t prevent the leaking tire, but it would ensure that you know the causes, and that you correct them.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Set goals Stack the deck Build a creative den Retreat, but don’t surrender Find your cycle The right tools Follow your progress

And that is just for the beginning.

PTB points to the three degrees of thinking that William Golding discovered early in life. I love that ability to place your mind outside of the discourse, look at the background noise, and come with a reason why. But much more interesting is that question by Golding, “What is the truth?”, that meta-thinking that [...]]]>

PTB points to the three degrees of thinking that William Golding discovered early in life. I love that ability to place your mind outside of the discourse, look at the background noise, and come with a reason why.
But much more interesting is that question by Golding, “What is the truth?”, that meta-thinking that recognizes the inherent limitation of our thoughts, and dares to go further

There is still a higher grade of thought which says, “What is truth?” and sets out to find it.

But o curse, the very same act of finding fault with the world is, in itself, a form of blindness – a higher one, if you like: We find that there are other points of view, and we try to arrange the world in a logical manner – logical to us, comfortable to our biases and limits. We define the world by simply saying where our limits are.

More interesting, then, is to accept that, for all we know and devise, the world is still going to be ruled by instincts and primeval desires, and our logical fallacy is going to reveal itself in a sudden flurry of temptation, our beautiful rational logic srpinging fangs and claws with which to apprehend that reality.

Because, you see, we are the Thinker, and we are also the Venus, the leopard, the snake. And so is everybody else.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Courage is not the absence of fear. To the contrary, courage involves recognizing danger, but acting on the realization that danger must be confronted — or it will find you when you are least prepared.

So many things in life scare us, so many people prey on [...]]]> From Mr Smash, something to remember these days:

Courage is not the absence of fear. To the contrary, courage involves recognizing danger, but acting on the realization that danger must be confronted — or it will find you when you are least prepared.

So many things in life scare us, so many people prey on our fears. Politicians give us fear as justification, cowards use fear to restrain us, we use fear to avoid living.

The coward strikes at those he perceives as weak, hides under words and justifications, uses lies and tantrums, ignores the rights of others, and retreats under walls of hate and self-righteousness.

Courage is simpler, harder, nobler.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

You might like this article from Getting Real:

Well, needless to say, I couldn’t believe my luck. It was as if the Pigeon of Good Fortune had just eaten a 10 enchilada lunch and took a giant crap on my head! I [...]]]> Synchronicity: what happens when the world spins the way we need it to.

You might like this article from Getting Real:

Well, needless to say, I couldn’t believe my luck. It was as if the Pigeon of Good Fortune had just eaten a 10 enchilada lunch and took a giant crap on my head! I told him I’d come ‘round the next afternoon and drop off my resume. Why, this was all too perfect, I thought to myself.

Because, in ancient Roma, if a pigeon shat on you, you were considered lucky.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Heller remarks to Vonnegut that he has something that the billionaire can never have, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” These wise words provide a frame that can help you [...]]]> Bob Sutton, author of the “No Asshole Rule“, writes about ow Kurt Vonnegut gave permission to publish “Joe Heller”, and the background to that story:

Heller remarks to Vonnegut that he has something that the billionaire can never have, “The knowledge that I’ve got enough.” These wise words provide a frame that can help you be at peace with yourself and to treat those around you with affection and respect

Difficult wisdom!
via Sandra

Bookmark It

Hide Sites