When I was young
I thought I could fly.
If I ran just right,
I’d rise into the sky
and go over the yard and
the house and the trees
until, floating a bit
I’d catch a good breeze
and neighbors would see
and squint into the sun
and say “Come here and look
at what this kid has done!”
I'd continue to rise
and with such a big smile that
my grin could be viewed
at least for a mile.
And even today,
I think, if I try,
the time may yet come
when I'll rise up and fly.
My workout partner today told me that he's been surprised to find out how fit he's gotten, and that at the age of 51, he's in the best shape of his life. Paddling his surf board out to a nearby island the other day, he said he wasn't even winded and could have gone back and forth, unlike in past years when one trip out there would leave him exhausted. He keeps track of the miles he runs each day, whether exercising his young Border Collie, or on the treadmill in the gym before we lift weights. This new level of aerobic fitness was to him a surprising side effect of all the stuff he's been doing.
As we worked out today, we reflected on the nature of side effects. All activities have their intended reasons, and often they also have unexpected side effects, especially when it comes to habits, or repeated patterns of action. The question we should be asking ourselves is whether the side effects of our actions are likely to be beneficial or damaging.
Prudent actions, rational actions, or to use a more modern concept, healthy actions are those that take place in the golden zone of beneficial results, whether intended or unintended. We should always be examining our habits and asking whether they're firmly within that golden zone or not.
Golden zone actions lead to good results, and sometimes to great surprises.
May we all stay healthy and golden.
The opportunistic cat himself, Mr. Odes. Check out the heart on his nose.
I know one opportunistic cat. His name is Odie. Whenever he sees a new open box or drawer, or a platter left out in the kitchen, he'll find a way to get into it or onto it. Sometimes, it's amazing what he can do. We'll see where he's perched himself, and look around for the means he must have used and find ourselves saying "How did he do that?" But, do it, he does.
Odie is an ongoing lesson to me about the opportunistic mentality. He already has certain CATegories in mind (sorry) - a box, drawer, bucket, laundry basket, or basket of any kind, or a large bowl or anything that can contain him for a momentary repose. And whenever one of these things appears, his focus on getting to it and into it, or onto it, is so intense and unwavering that he inevitably finds a way. He always finds a way, even where there doesn't seem to be one.
I was reorganizing three sock drawers the other day, and as soon as I had cleaned one out and turned around, I discovered to my great surprise that he had managed to find a way that I could not at all retrace, into the open drawer. That's the power of a clear goal and a focused concentration on what it may take to attain the goal. That's the opportunistic mindset at work.
What's your goal now? How opportunistic are you being about it. The opportunistic mindset is often a CATalist to success. Yeah, I couldn't resist it, either.
"A talent can be cultivated in tranquility; a character only in the rushing stream of life." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.
I remember as a boy of twelve sitting alone at home practicing holding my fingers in the right positions on the fretboard of a classical guitar. The house was quiet and my soul was filled with the difficult efforts I was making.
Many talents can indeed be cultivated in solitude and in tranquility. But character requires more.
What we do in solitude and tranquility can contribute to our character, certainly, and powerfully, but most of its formation is due to how we respond to and grow from the rough and tumble of life. What Goethe called "the rushing stream" will carry us in one direction or the other.
I understand character as just the sum total of the inner strengths and weaknesses that we bring to any challenging situation. And these strengths and weaknesses result from many forces - heredity, upbringing, association, and mostly choice. How we choose to react to people and events over time will slowly form our character, for better or worse. And then it's that character which will empower or diminish us as we move forward to new challenges.
Long ago, the philosopher Heraclitus said, "Character is destiny." And that about sums it up. It's hard to rise above who you most inwardly are. Those of us who would accomplish great things should work to establish great foundations within. And, in the end, it's all about how we react to the good things and the bad things, to the opportunities, achievements, challenges, and disappointments that come our way today, and tomorrow.
Whenever I react to a situation in a way that I later regret, I try to pay attention to what led me to do that, and I work to avoid responding that way again. The more honest we can be with ourselves in evaluating our actions, the better we're prepared to cultivate character with strength.
To judge someone else's character, pay the most attention to how they act in "the rushing stream of life."
"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." David Lloyd George.
This is a nice image that I've long loved. You can't cross a broad chasm in two small jumps. Sometimes, you have to take a huge step, and sometimes a giant leap.
If you're normally a small stepper, that can be hard. But some things can't be accomplished any other way.
There are some big leaps in life that don't make sense. And there are others that do.
How can we know the difference? Discernment. Wisdom. Intuition. Listening.
What are your values? What do you love? What matters to you?
What do your dreams tell you? What is your heart saying?
If you're led to the edge of something new, and it's something very good, and a leap needs to be made, and your heart is nudging you forward, then leap!
Anyone reading this blog post may have heard me speak at some point on what the great philosophers said it takes for success in whatever we do. My claim is simple.
From Plato and Aristotle to the present day, the wisest people who have ever thought about success and excellence have left us bits and pieces of powerful advice for attaining true success in our lives. I've put them all together as this framework of seven universal conditions. For the most deeply satisfying and sustainable forms of success in our lives, we need to bring into any situation, relationship, or enterprise:
(C1) A clear CONCEPTION of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.
(C2) A strong CONFIDENCE that we can attain that goal.
(C3) A focused CONCENTRATION on what it takes to reach the goal.
(C4) A stubborn CONSISTENCY in pursuing our vision.
(C5) An emotional COMMITMENT to the importance of what we're doing.
(C6) A good CHARACTER to guide us and keep us on a proper course.
(C7) A CAPACITY TO ENJOY the process along the way.
I was talking to a friend yesterday, and he mentioned Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, quoting one of the habits, "Begin with the end in mind." I thought it might be helpful to reflect briefly on the difference between Covey's framework and mine.
I once directed a weekend retreat with Covey and found him to be a sweet and kind person, as well as very thoughtful. I had great fun with him. And I admire the results of his work. But, that being said, on to the comparison. First, I'll just list his seven habits, as he does, in the form of recommendations or imperatives:
Habit 1: Be proactive.
Habit 2: Begin with the end in view.
Habit 3: Put first things first.
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the saw.
A few comments. Habit (1) is about taking initiative, always good, and included in the application of my C3 - the focused concentration condition.
Habit (2) is a brief version of my C1 (the first condition of the 7Cs), the condition that tells us that as we begin to work toward any goal, we need a clear conception of what we want to result from our activity, and that we need to make our conception vivid and rooted in the imagination, aspects of goal setting that Covey doesn't explicitly address in his framework.
Habit (3), like (1), is included in my understanding of C3, the focused concentration condition, as developed in True Success.
Habits (4), (5), and (6) come into play in relationships, in negotiations, and in work situations of joint endeavor, but not always in the successful meeting of individual, personal challenges. They are very good advice for the circumstances in which they apply, and are, in those circumstances, applications of C3, concentrating on what it takes, or C4, the consistency condition, or C6, the character condition, but they are not themselves, in my understanding, strictly universal conditions for success. Some things can be, and sometimes must be, properly done by one person alone, and for some of these private matters, a strategy of synergism need not necessarily play a role. And where not more than one person is involved, the most basic requirements for win/win thinking may not even arise. Obviously, there can't be two winners except where there are at least two players.
Habit (7) has to do with personal renewal, growth, continuing education and skill development, which is always a good idea. But, again, there are some forms of personal challenge, relationship goals, and even professional demands where, in meeting the demand, or accomplishing the goal, it does not necessarily come into play. A very commendable activity, even one necessary for a full life, does not necessarily count as one of the fundamental conditions I'm focusing in on as crucial for all forms of success. Where it does come into play, it falls under my C3.
Even more noteworthy, my conditions C2 (Confidence), C4 (Consistency), C5 (Commitment), and C7 (the Capacity to Enjoy the Process) are nowhere explicitly captured in this framework. I say this not to claim that Covey's important schema is incomplete in any way, but just to point out that it's different in design and intent from my framework of seven conditions. Although there are important fundamental similarities and overlaps, The 7Cs of Success, as a framework or tool kit of ideas, is significantly different from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
For more on the 7 Cs, see True Success, The Art of Achievement, and the big new ebook, The 7 Cs of Success, which reveals how these tools were understood by some of the greatest practical philosophers throughout the centuries and around the world. For Covey's original book, click here, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.
"Luck is something that happens at the right time." Tony Bennett, Esquire, November, 2014.
Hey, I can't just quote Plato and Aristotle.
There's a phrase in the New Testament: "When the time had fully come ..."
Luck is something that happens at the right time. Serendipity is something that happens at the right time. Coincidence. Fortuity. Kismet. Destiny. Miracle.
Providence ... is something that happens at ... well, you get the idea.
When, in your life, has something happened at just the right time? If you're doing anything now that will succeed only if the right conditions develop, remember that, in order to provide for what you most hope to see or do, things need to happen at the right time.
Await that time. Pursue that time. Be diligent. And, meanwhile, be patient. And prepared. Be ready.
Your time will come.
And like Tony Bennett's time, it may stay around for a while.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom; for we never know what is enough until we know what is more than enough." William Blake.
Often, what Blake said is true. But he should have been a bit more careful in how he said it. His statement is a bit ... excessive.
The Oracle at Delphi, the holiest spot in ancient Greece, had two commands for wise living inscribed in marble to greet all visitors.
The first command was "Know Yourself." The second was "Nothing in Excess."
I long thought these were just two important but unrelated recommendations. But now I understand more deeply. You can't really know yourself unless you know what counts as excessive for you, in any area. And you can't know what's excessive for you unless you know yourself. These are deeply intertwined imperatives.
I wish William Blake had been more cautious in his often quoted statement about excess. The road of excess doesn't always lead to the palace of wisdom, but it can. It can also lead to the mortuary, or to a dark cave of chronic stress, or else to what my mother, and many mothers of her generation used to call "the poor house." It can lead to the edge of a cliff or to another unexpected dead end. It enlightens only those who are sufficiently aware that they have crossed a line, and need to back up.
We indeed never know our limits until we attempt to pass beyond them. And, to the wise, the experience is enough to give rise to a sense of what is ... enough. One year, I gave talks in 93 cities. That, I found out, was for me far too much. And I cut back on my schedule right away. The decision was a wise one, and brought me immense benefits.
Experience can be a great teacher, if we're alert students.
Is there any excess in your life right now? Be honest about it. Come on, really.
Ask yourself whether there is anything you need to do to back up a little and correct course.
Today.
"Greatness is a spiritual condition." Matthew Arnold.
Matthew Arnold was an insightful student of philosophy, literature, and theology in the nineteenth century. Some of his essays are of timeless value. He saw deeply into the nature of greatness of every kind. The outer is always a result of the inner. Physical greatness, intellectual greatness, or greatness of any kind is ultimately a matter of the spirit. Greatness in any form is a spiritual condition. To think otherwise is to misunderstand the fount of all sustainable excellence.
How is the spirit of your enterprise? Of your company? Of your family? How is your own spirit? If you don't tend the inner garden, the outer fruit will not grow and ripen.
Set aside some time to examine the spiritual state of your life and work. And identify one thing that you can do for your own spiritual health. Then begin to do it.
Today.
"When your will is ready, your feet are light." George Herbert.
No job is harder than the one you don’t want to do. And no job is easier than one you love. Skill building is important in any profession. But will building is the key. John Ruskin once said, “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”
How do you prepare your will, what the philosophers called “volition,” for the job at hand? How can you move the will to love what you're doing?
The answer is simple. You do whatever you can to match yourself to a task that's right for you. And then you use your imagination. You envision its ultimate good. You put it into perspective, within the context of what you already love and care most deeply about. Only the heart can move the will in the deepest and most enduring ways. So prepare for your work by using your imagination to tend to your heart. Use the imagination well, and the heart will follow. And then, eventually, it will lead.
We can always find a reason for not liking, or not doing, a task we need to do. We can build up resentment, irritation, frustration, and even hatred by how we think. Or we can mentally put ourselves into a totally different state of being and doing. Its finally up to each of us. If you feel good about your work, it will feel much easier to you. Remind yourself of this simple truth when things seem tough, and pass on the insight to anyone you see struggling along.
Today.
"By the work, you know the workman." Jean de La Fountaine.
Cause and effect. A great guitarist plays a great solo. A master mechanic gets a car to purr. An original thinker writes original books. A salesperson who cares shows that care in her preparations, and serves her client like no one else.
The old view was that this is a matter of pride. Our jobs never define us. But the quality of the work we do will disclose us, reveal us, and give us away. It will also not just show who we are today, but in great part determine who we'll be tomorrow.
Do we do our best? Do we strive for excellence every day?
The great philosophers would have us recognize that all our choices define who we are. We're known for the quality we bring to the world. Let's remember that and pour our hearts into everything we do.
Today.
And tomorrow.
I was with the top management of a company the other day, discussing how to have continued success in the midst of chaos and change. We were using my framework of The 7 Cs of Success to tackle the issues. One topic that came up was how to prioritize when too much is happening at once and apparent chaos prevails.
The first point worth mentioning is this: Chaos creates confusion. Clarity begins to establish control. As we discussed this idea, we dwelt a bit on the first of my seven conditions of success, the one saying that, in any challenge, we need:
C1: A clear CONCEPTION of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.
How do we get clear goals? Where do they come from? I pointed out that we often think we have a goal when all we have is a fantasy, a figment of the imagination floating in and out of our conscious minds. And sometimes, we think we have a goal when we have something stronger than a fantasy, but it's merely a desire, an inclination of the appetites, as philosophers have said. A goal can be suggested by a fantasy or a desire, but it isn't the same as either of these other things. Then what is it? It's a commitment of the will.
A commitment is an interesting thing. It's a decision and a new path of action. It embodies focus, conviction, and determination. If you don't have new actions in your life, or in your business ventures, you don't yet have a new goal. You may think you do, but unless you've made specific, concrete commitments, you don't - at least, yet.
We often speak of goals and values. What, then, is a value? You may say, "I value my family" or "I value growth" or "We value customer service," but what does that mean? A value isn't just an affirmation or a mild belief that something is good. A value is also a commitment of the will. If you don't have a real commitment to something, you don't have that thing as a value. You may like your family a lot, you may enjoy growth immensely, or see the need for good customer service, but unless you're committed to these things, they aren't really values for you.
So a value is a commitment of the will. And a goal is a commitment of the will. Then, what's the difference? It's simple. A value is a general commitment. A goal is more specific. Both are present and future oriented, and enriched by the past. But one is broad and the other is narrow. In fact, it's our values that best suggest, support, and guide our goals.
Everyone in a business needs to get as clear as possible on what the values of the company are. Only that can reliably lead to the right goals. Each of us needs to do the same in our personal lives. What are your values? What proper goals do they suggest, going forward?
In times of chaos and complexity, we can prioritize well only if we're clear on our goals and values. That clarity can create a new form of control and a personal command that's otherwise impossible to attain.
So think a bit on what your foundational commitments are, and about what your specific goals are.
Today.
First thoughts, initial ideas, can be great, or they can be dangerous. Often, we find ourselves in a situation where we're trying to make sense of something and figure out what to do next. The first thing that occurs to us can sometimes be right, as a deliverance of intuition or instinct, or as a gift of the unconscious mind. But there are other times when our first thoughts are due to fear, or habit, or some other extraneous factor that actually gets in the way of discovering the truth.
I was speaking yesterday at the downtown Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis, a great urban hotel. And right before I was to give my presentation inside the Regency Ballroom, I was wandering the nearby hallway and came across a sign. I took out my iPhone and snapped it, posting the photo to start this blog, above. Theory A.
And then I walked a few feet and saw the following, of course.
Every philosopher likes to initially have more than one theory available, when attempting to understand something new. The same thing holds true in business, and even in our personal lives. Theory A. Theory B. Sometimes, even more of a selection of possibilities helps. What's important is not to rush to judgment. Don't let your first thought necessarily dictate all subsequent rumination. Reconsider. Open up to the possibility of something new. We can always be learning. It may be that your second, or third idea is the best, and the one you need to run with. Test whatever comes to mind. Then act.
And even when you find that your first theory was right, your exploration of other possibilities will help you understand how others might think about the situation, and might even give you clues into how to implement your favored approach. What's important is to broaden your thinking and keep open to something new.
Try this if you can, in any new situation you might face. Whenever Theory A occurs to you, conjure a Theory B, to help you think better about it all. Then choose which is best.
Keep your mind open and flexible, always able to contemplate the new.
Today.
Or Tomorrow.
"Energy is eternal delight." William Blake.
Printer, painter, poet and mystic, William Blake knew what he was talking about. Samuel Smiles once praised energy and described its place in life like this: “It is energy - the central element of which is will - that produces the miracle of enthusiasm in all ages. Everywhere it is the mainspring of what is called force of character, and the sustaining power of all great action.”
Do you have that experience of eternal delight that Blake refers to, the motivating enthusiasm that Smiles so values? If the answer is "no" or "rarely" then you should ask yourself some questions.
Are you well rested? Do you eat right? Do you exercize every day? Do you meditate or pray? Those are what philosophers call facilitating but not sufficient conditions for that inner magic that moves the world. The most important ingredient is a cause to believe in. Deeply.
Are you doing something you really believe in? If not, why not? Find a way to get a big picture for your work. Connect it to the meaning of life. Connect it to something noble. Or change what you do to something you can view in this way. Then you’ll experience the energy that's always at the heart of great endeavors.
So get some rest. Eat right. Move around. Calm your spirit. And believe. Then surf on the good energy that can flow though you.
Today.
During the first period of a man's life, the greatest danger is: not to take the risk." Soren Kierkegaard.
It starts in school. Major in something safe. The job market is everything. Choose your courses carefully. Treat your teachers like the future references they are. Then make sure you learn how to get the grades you need. Don’t sign up for anything that could possibly drop that all important GPA. Then find a job with security. Keep your head down. Do what you’re asked. Smile. Respect authority. Forget your individuality. And don’t ever, ever read Kierkegaard.
The father of existentialism, the thinker who advocated taking a LEAP OF FAITH whenever appropriate, would not fit into the mold of the Standard Guidance Counsellor Advice these days. When he was alive, he was utterly contemptuous of the herd mentality that seems to define so much of the modern world. Kierkegaard believed that you should follow your own sense of who you are and what you can do. And on occasion, be prepared to take a risk. By playing it safe in every way, you’ll never find out who you are. It turns out that always playing it safe ends up as the most dangerous way to live. You forfeit your soul. You lose who you're meant to be. You fail to grow into your best.
And this is just as true of companies as of people.
You may need to heed the philosopher’s advice here. Or you may need to pass it on to some young friend who's just playing it safe and losing himself in the process.
Think about it.
Today.
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." Walter Bagehot.
I once sat next to a man on an airplane who told me of his days as a high school baseball player and his dreams of professional ball. “You’re pretty good, but you’ll never make it to the pros,” people in his hometown would tell him. But then he made it to the pros and heard people say: “Enjoy it while you can in the Minors, but you’ll never make it to into the Major Leagues.” When he did make it to The Show, he had to listen to the newest verse of the old song: "There's no shame in sitting on the bench." But he didn't want to sit and watch. And he played, and then heard, “Don't even think about home runs, you’re lucky to be there at all.”
But Willie Stargell would not believe the naysayers. And he took great pleasure in every home run he ever hit, each one of the 475. This Hall of Famer would have missed out on a lot if he had listened to the people around him who had no idea who he really was, deep down inside.
That day on the airplane, I showed Willie Stargell my laminated wallet card on The 7 Cs of Success. He read each condition carefully, and then said, "You nailed it with these ideas. You're the first person to ever explain to me how I became successful as a baseball player. I did each of these things you outline here, and I did them intuitively, instinctively, but I never could have put them into words. Thank you for this. This is a great gift to me."
The whole conversation was a great gift to me.
Remember that naysayers will always be with us. Even our best friends will sometimes warn us about how hard and unlikely our goals may appear, not wanting us to set ourselves up for disappointment. They just don't realize that we're often really setting ourselves up for success. The dream comes first, then the goal, then the work, but always, the belief and confidence deep inside.
You have to know your own strength and follow your own heart, believing in your own sense of mission in life. Then you can hit your own home runs, and take pleasure in the results. So step up to the plate.
Today.
"Things are not always what they seem." Phaedrus.
Appearances and realities. Don’t you wish you could easily tell them apart? Plato diagnosed our condition long ago. He believed that most people live lives of illusion, imprisoned by appearances, unable to break through to the underlying realities of life. How does anyone break free and grasp bedrock truth? With philosophy. By using the wisdom of others as well as your own powers of discernment.
First of all question. Then, secondly, question some more. Anticipate motives. Ponder spin. Peel back the first layers of what presents itself. Dodge the deceptive surfaces that come your way. What’s at issue, really? And whose interests are at stake? Don’t always trust your senses or even initial judgments. Be a detective. Interrogate appearances. Dig deeper. And then be prepared to trust your heart, after the probing you most often need to do.
A really good book on asking questions to peel back appearances is Water Berger's recent effort, A More Beautiful Question. Another one for business people is Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan's short book Execution.
The stoics often said that almost nothing is as good as it seems or as bad as it seems, so we all need to calm down. Use this advice. And help others to benefit from it.
Today.
Not actually my old Notre Dame office, but you can still get the idea. This guy is a little worse.
"Good order is the foundation of all good things." Edmund Burke.
When I was a philosophy professor, my office as was once described in Notre Dame Magazine as perhaps the messiest on campus. I liked to claim that the apparent disorder was just an extremely subtle and complex form of rational order beyond the comprehension of the casual glance. I was one of the early exponents of chaos theory. I was also a great rationalizer.
When I left the university and set up my own Morris Institute for Human Values, I quickly came to appreciate the value of order. A quirky, eccentric professor lost in the physical world can be not only tolerated, but even enjoyed within the safely protective environment of a major university. Out in the world, it’s a different matter. Any of us who are determined to create new forms of success have to respect the need for efficient access, clear records, and orderly procedures. If Architectural Digest wanted to photograph my office, it would still take me a few minutes, or - ok - maybe a few hours, over a period of days, to get it really nice looking, but it’s not the waste dump of resource materials and old book drafts that my chaotic professorial den once was.
How’s the order in your life? The degree of order and clear structure that you need will be a function of the person you are. Not everyone has to have labels on all drawers and a system for everything. There's a spectrum. But on the total mess end of the spectrum, I do believe that a measure of potential effectiveness is seriously inhibited, regardless of what absent minded creatives may think when they're ignoring it.
Are you often wasting time looking for things that should be more rationally organized and more readily available? Would an uncluttered desk help you think better? And how about that old closet? Do you really have any idea what's in there?
Philosophers have often been the closet organizers of the mind. We help people straighten up their thinking, get their ideas well ordered, and discover the treasures that may be hidden away within the deep and cluttered storage of their own minds.
Creativity flourishes best within a context of good order. So do we as people. Organize something, anything in your life, and enjoy the results that will come.
Today.
"Success, remember, is the result of toil." Sophocles: Very Successful Greek Playwright.
It’s not just who you know. And it’s not just the luck of the draw. The wisest people have always acknowledged that success ultimately comes from hard work. First, the mental work necessary to establish an appropriate goal, along with a planned path to that goal, and then the ongoing work, mental and physical, necessary to implement that plan consistently yet adaptively in pursuit of your goal.
The modern paradigm of success tends to revolve around the apparent magic of the right idea galvanizing the right people at the right time. Before you know it, there’s an investor and a startup company, then suddenly an IPO, and everybody’s buying expensive new cars to fill up the 6 garage bays in their recently purchased mansions. But behind nearly every tech startup magic story in modern times, there's a tremendous amount of that ancient activity: toil.
The lubricant of success is the oil of toil. It always has been. It always will be.
There's no way around it. You may one day win a lottery without it, but you’ll never enjoy any form of true success except as the result of it. But that’s no problem. Toil and pride go side by side. Yeah, it rhymes. Say it. Sing it. And remember it.
Today.
"It is the nature of every man to err, but only the fool persists in his error." Cicero.
There's only one form of perseverence that's wrong and self-destructive: perseverence in error. It’s unbelievable how many people come to realize that they’ve made a mistake and yet keep on doing what they’re doing, apparently unable or unwilling to stop and make a change. Are they afraid of being called quitters? Are they loathe to admit having made a mistake at all? The inability to own up to error and rechart the course forward has ruined many people’s lives, both personally and professionally. Epictetus said long ago, “No one who lives in error is free.”
Everyone makes mistakes. Most of us make some doozies. It’s all part of the enterprise of learning. It’s all part of human growth. And it’s natural. Don’t be embarassed about making mistakes. Really. The only thing worth being embarassed about is a refusal to learn from your mistakes and make the changes that you need to make. But that can change! Do you find yourself persevering in error of any kind? Or do you see someone around you engaging in that sort of self-defeating activity? Use this bit of Cicero’s wisdom as a simple reminder to help turn things around. The wise adapt and rebound. So go and do so.
Today.
Some things that may be of interest. Click the images below for more!
First up: Tom’s new Silver Anniversary Edition of his hugely popular book on The 7 Cs of Success!
The New Breakthrough Guide to Stoicism for our time.
Finally! Volume 7 of the new series of philosophical fiction!
Plato comes alive in a new way!
On stage in front of a room full of leaders and high achievers from across the globe.
Maybe, my favorite book of all time. Published in 1905, it's a charming and compelling tale about the power of the imagination and simple kindness in dealing with great difficulties. You'll love it. Click the cover to find it on Amazon!
My favorite photo and quote from the first week of my new blog:
My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon. - Mizuta Masahide
I'll Rise Up and Fly.
When I was young
I thought I could fly.
If I ran just right
I'd rise into the sky
and go over the yard and the house and the trees
until, floating a bit,
I'd catch a good breeze
and neighbors would see
and squint into the sun
and say "Come here and look
at what this kid has done!"
I'd continue to rise,
and with such a big smile,
my grin could be viewed
at least for a mile.
And, even today
I think, if I try,
the time may yet come
when I'll rise up and fly. (TM)
My Favorite Recent Photo: A young lady named Jubilee gets off to a head start in life by diving into some philosophy!
Great new Elizabeth Gilbert book on creative living and the creative experience.
The back flap author photo on the new book The Oasis Within.
Something different. Paola Requena. Classical guitar. Sonata Heróica.
Two minutes on a perspective that can change a business or a life.
On the beach where we do retreats, February 16, 2018, 77 degrees. Philosophy in shorts and a T shirt done right.
So many people have asked to see one of my old Winnie the Pooh TV commercials and I just found one! Here it is:
Long ago and far away, on a Hollywood sound stage, I appeared in two network ads for the wise Pooh, to promote his adventures on Disney Home Videos. For two years, I was The National Spokesman for that most philosophical bear. This is one of the ads. I had a bad case of the flu but I hope you can't tell. A-Choo!
Now, for something truly unexpected:
Five Years ago, a friend surprised me by creating an online shop of stuff based on my Twitter Feed. I had forgotten all about it, but stumbled across it today. I should get this shirt for when I'm an old man, and have my home address printed on the back, along with, "Return if Found." Click to see the other stuff! I do love the dog sweaters.
Cat videos go philosophical. The now famous Henri Le Chat Noir, existential hero. Click image for the first video I saw and loved.
Another Musical Interlude. Two guys with guitars, one an unusual classical seven string, one a bass, but playing chords.
I memorized the "To be or not to be" soliloquy from Hamlet months ago, and recite it nearly daily. It's longer than you think, and is a powerful meditation on life and motivation, fear, and the unknown. To find some good 3 minute videos of actors performing these lines, click here. Watch Branaugh and Gibson for very different takes.
This is a book I read recently, and it's one of the best I've read in years on happiness and success. Shawn helped teach the famous Harvard course on happiness, and brings the best of that research and more into this great book. Click on it. I think you'll like it!
A favorite performance of the great Brazilian bossa nova song Wave, by Tom Jobim. Notice Marjorie Estiano's fun, the older guitarist's passion, the flutist's zen. Marjorie's little laugh at the end says it all. That should be how we all feel about our work. Gladness. Joy.
I happened across this great book on death and life after death. Because of some uncanny experiences surrounding the death of her father and sister, this journalist began to research issues involving death. Her conclusions are careful and well documented. If you're interested in this topic, you'll find this book clear, fascinating, and helpful. A Must Read! For my recent conversation with the author on HuffPo, click here.
Henri discovers the first book about his unique philosophical ponderings. Click image for the short video.
My favorite website to visit nearly every day. Maria Popova may read more and write more than any other human being on earth, and her reports are always amazingly interesting. This is really brain candy, but with serious nutritional benefits as well. Visit her often!
One of my newest talk topics is "Plato's Lemonade Stand: Stirring Change into Something Great." Based on the old adage, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade," this talk is about how to do exactly that. Inquire for my availability through the contact page above! Let's stir something up!
A frequent inspiration. Monday, 30, April 2012. Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli perform "Time to Say Goodbye." Notice how they indwell the lyrics, and still manage to relate to each other so demonstratively.
My friend Bill Powers writes on how to handle the technology in your life and stay sane. A beautiful meditation on how we've always struggled with the new new thing, and sometimes win. Recommended!
Above is a short video on finding fulfillment in anything you do, that was taped a few years ago. I hope you enjoy it!
This is a beautiful and difficult book on the odd relationship between repeated failure and eventual success. It's full of great stories and moments of meditation. You will find yourself teasing out the insights, but they're powerful and worth the work.
One of the best books in the past year or more, G&T is a wonderful look at how givers can rise high. Grant is the youngest tenured professor at Wharton and its most popular teacher. Here, he shows why! A really good book.
