EDN: Jerry Wennstrom: Interview - role of learning in art, creativity and life.

EDN: Jerry Wennstrom: Interview
What is essential in both of these statements, "Life as safari" and "I want to summit" is the requirement of outrageous trust in something unseen. To seek the summit or to venture into unknown territory with the poetic sensibility suggested requires courage and personal vision. These statements are not the voice of complacency. There is reference to a wild and potentially dangerous universe. At the same time, the statements leave open the unreasonable possibility that our adventures may be informed, support and celebrated by a conscious universe that we can trust. Whatever we choose to call it, there appears to be a longing in the human heart that overrides reason and awakens the spirit of outrageous trust and adventure in us.

The power of this longing will send us into unknown territory where the path is defined only as we move forward. To come to terms with the discomfort and unknowing of this override and to jump into the adventure anyway, is where the creative heart comes most alive. It is often the visionaries, the artists or the more intuitive among us who are first to do this. They are the gatekeepers who point to the wilds outside the gates while inviting us through. They may inspire us but we have to set off on our own adventures and establish a dialogue with the mystery and the unknown ourselves. The fruit of this dialogue is what defines our creative individuality. Personal access to the creative source is the birthright of anyone willing to trust and remain open to the adventure.

The cure for melancholy

via Lewis Lapham
the magician Merlin in T. H. White's Once and Future King: "The best thing for being sad is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails.

You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then-to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never dream of regretting."

Secrets of job satisfaction

Sathnam Sanghera in the FT
I have spent time over the past month with someone who I thought would have a great deal of it – Dario Benuzzi, the 59-year-old chief test driver at Ferrari – and someone I thought who wouldn’t have very much at all – Isobel Hoare, a 55-year-old soft drinks tester for Ribena, the blackcurrant cordial manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

When Dario arrived, he looked surly and bored. When asked if he could take me for a drive he replied that he didn’t have the time. I pretended not to be disappointed. He rolled his eyes when he discovered that I couldn’t speak Italian and there followed a strange, strained interview in which I posed questions in English (“how many hours do you work?”), he replied in Italian at length, and the Ferrari PR proffered an inexplicably brief translation (“Dario say zis eees something that varies”).

The disappointment continued back in London when I read a full translation of the interview. While he said that he loved his job, he didn’t seem quite as happy as I thought he would be. Asked whether he had the best job in the world, he replied: “People say so.” And he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about his pay and conditions. “I get paid the same as an engineer,” he revealed at one point, adding that he himself drove not a Ferrari but an Alfa Romeo. “But then money is never enough.”

Isobel seemed to adore every aspect of her job as one of a team of sensory testers, whose advice helps ensure that Ribena is manufactured with a consistent taste.

Conversely, my visit to meet Isobel at the Ribena factory in the Forest of Dean, in south-west England, turned out to be a delight. My morning at the factory began with a taste testing session. This involved being taken to a booth, being given a sample of squash and then being asked to describe it as fully as possible. After sniffing, slurping and thinking about the first sample for five minutes, Isobel shared her description with her colleagues.

“The sample is pale red, still, clear, bright, light reflective,” she began. “There are a few bubbles on the edge of the cup which are gradually dispersing; when swilled no residue remains on the side of the cup and the sample appears to be of a similar thickness to water; it has a moderate impact aroma of confectionary blackcurrant which reminds me of red wine gums; there’s also a hint of artificial sweetener; it has a moderate impact flavour – moderately acidic and sour, moderate blackcurrant; the texture is a similar thickness to water, slight to moderately drying-in-the-mouth; moderately astringent and acidic aftertaste, slight-to-moderately throat-catching and burning.”

While Dario surprised me by using so many words to say so little, Isobel surprised me by using so many words to describe so little.

[T]he two meetings revealed something about the nature of job satisfaction that the experts do not seem to recognise. According to the happiness industry, job satisfaction is a fixed characteristic in certain jobs. You either have it or you don’t,
and almost every week reports claim to identify who is among the former (recent reports have suggested hairdressers) and the latter (lawyers and architects, apparently).

A recent academic study went as far as ranking the criteria that make people happy at work – good pay, decent hours, promotion prospects and so on.

But, as Dario and Isobel demonstrate, this is not how job satisfaction works at all. It is quite possible to have a dream job and be unhappy, and to be in a crappy job and be ecstatic. There is no science to job satisfaction: different people need different things at different times.

Doubtless there was an occasion when Dario, who joined Ferrari in 1971, was unequivocally delighted with his work. But what he wanted from his job when he was 40 may differ from what he wants as he approaches retirement.

Indeed, the only certainty about professional contentment is that we will feel differently about what we do at different times, depending on infinitely varying criteria such as our mood, how much we are paid, whether we like the person who sits next to us, and how far we are from a holiday, which in my case is not very far at all.

Life in the slow lane

In a media/connectivity saturated world, it is blissful to forcibly cut oneself off from the shackles of devices - and commune with nature /one's consiousness.
FT.com / Arts
Whatever the reasons for their existence, the small enclaves where people are still cut off from the world of internet, e-mails and mobile phones do have a lesson for us. Communication is the most basic tool of a civil society, but there is little debate about whether there can be too much of it, about the fracturing of the language or about the nervousness we feel when we cannot be in total contact, all the time. There is also a nagging feeling that those who opt out may have retained something important that the rest of us have become terrified of: a bit of peace.

Is your genius at work?

via Dave Pollard
Dick Richards' new book Is Your Genius at Work? is designed for people contemplating a career change. Its focus is on helping people find their genius -- the one thing they are especially and uniquely good at, and then finding application for that genius in the work world. Its audience is anyone who believes they are currently doing they than they could or should, both for their own fulfillment and to make a contribution to the betterment of the world. It's especially valuable for those who are in need of an ego-boost -- those who don't believe they have genius, and don't believe they are especially good at anything.

There is no rocket science to Richards' process. It is essentially a workbook, in the vein of Bolles' What Colour Is Your Parachute? but less focused on researching jobs at the intersection of What you love, What you're good at, and What's needed, and more on identifying and naming What you're good at, and Why you're here.

Like Parachute, Genius is full of exercises, and I worked through them to see whether they provided insights different from Parachute's. Richards seems to take it on faith that What you're good at is congruent with What you love. I think that's debatable, but perhaps it doesn't matter -- since the exercises get you to identify both, and then find 'common denominators', the result is one genius, one talent, that lies at the intersection between them (spaces 2 & 3 in my diagram above).

I particularly liked the 'sales pitch' at the start of the book for working through it. Many people give up too easily on self-discovery exercises like this because they're not sufficiently convinced that the outcome is worth the effort. The arguments Richards makes for discovering and applying your genius are: (a) stronger sense of identity, (b) clearer sense of direction, (c) increased self-confidence, (d) language to communicate the value you can add, and (e) greater satisfaction and productivity in your work.

The four stage process outlined in the book is (1) discover (recognize) your genius, (2) ask yourself whether your current job/career makes good use of it, (3) discover your purpose, and (4) ask yourself whether your genius is being (or can be) applied to fulfill your purpose. Your purpose is your self-acknowledged reason for living, what you feel you were born to do.

Richards posits several 'restrictions' or 'conditions' to force you to narrow your (many) talents and passions to your one true genius:

1. You have a genius.
2. You have only one genius.
3. Your genius has been with you your whole life.
4. Your genius is natural and spontaneous.
5. Your genius is a positive, rather than destructive, energy.
6. Your genius is what it is, not what you would wish it to be.
7. Your genius' name consists of one gerund (word ending in -ing) followed by one noun.
8. Your genus is unique to you.

When you've recognized your genius, Richards says, you'll know it. Alternatives won't improve the name you've given it. It will be specific enough to be truly unique (already directing your mind towards how that uniqueness could distinguish and fulfill you if it were properly applied). It will be powerful. And, while it may take some time to reveal itself and may evolve over time, it will prove durable.

If identifying your genius proves elusive, Richards recommends looking at the following:

* Your disrepute: Things you do passionately that others criticize you for
* Your frustrations: Things you are discontented with
* Your elation: Things that bring you great joy and sense of accomplishment
* What you offer: Things you give to others openly and voluntarily
* Your interests: Things that pique your imagination and attention
* Your successes: Things that worked well, that were easy for you
* Images that attract you: Art and models that resonate with your perception of reality

The process for recognizing your genius is less rational and more intuitive and emotional than Bolles' Parachute discovery process, more a process of self-realization than research and self-analysis. This works for me, since I enjoy that kind of exercise and am reasonably good at it. But I'm not sure it can work for everyone. If you really don't know yourself, I can imagine you would find this book frustrating.

Richards spends only two pages on the second stage of the process: Asking yourself whether your current job/career makes good use of it, or could be changed to make good use of it. He knows, I think, that the people who will be attracted to this book will probably answer this question in the negative, and trusts each reader to decide for herself what to do about that.

For the third stage, discovering your purpose, Richards again suggests a set of 'restrictions' or 'conditions' to narrow the candidates and help you hone in on your one true purpose:

1. Your purpose must be discovered, not invented
2. Your purpose is directed outward -- it is the specific, tangible way in which your genius, your gift, is given to the world
3. Knowing your purpose allows you to be more intentional and effective in fulfilling it
4. Your purpose gives focus and meaning to your life and directs your decisions on what to do

And, again, if identifying your purpose proves elusive, Richards suggests looking at the following:

* Your strong emotions: What stirs you
* What other people ask of you: How they see your purpose
* Unexpected occurrences and turning points: Life events that might at least suggest what is not your purpose after all
* Your suffering: What you have had the courage to survive and overcome
* Meditation or prayer: Revelations that come from quieting your mind
* Your family history: What your family has seen as its purpose, and has suggested, with their special knowledge of you, might be yours
* Recurring ideas: Ideals and intentions and unmet needs and possibilities that have intrigued you for much of your life

And finally, redirecting your genius so it is focused on achieving your purpose requires, in addition to a lot of thought and energy and passion, a sense of personal responsibility, a sense of knowing your own heart, a sense of deep self-awareness, and personal courage. These personal qualities and capacities both emerge and find expression through the realization of your purpose by applying your genius.

The book is well-written, concise, un-preachy, illuminating, and down-to-earth, and I would recommend it not only because it can help you with your next career move, but more profoundly because it can help you to realize yourself, be happier and more fulfilled in all aspects of your life, and, in the process, make the world a better place.

Emerson on Roadblocks

When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.

What Should I Do With My Life?

What Should I Do With My Life?


Those who are lit by that passion are the object of envy among their peers and the subject of intense curiosity. They are the source of good ideas. They make the extra effort. They demonstrate the commitment. They are the ones who, day by day, will rescue this drifting ship. And they will be rewarded. With money, sure, and responsibility, undoubtedly. But with something even better too: the kind of satisfaction that comes with knowing your place in the world. We are sitting on a huge potential boom in productivity — if we could just get the square pegs out of the round holes.

Of course, addressing the question, What should I do with my life? isn’t just a productivity issue: It’s a moral imperative. It’s how we hold ourselves accountable to the opportunity we’re given. Most of us are blessed with the ultimate privilege: We get to be true to our individual nature. Our economy is so vast that we don’t have to grind it out forever at jobs we hate. For the most part, we get to choose. That choice isn’t about a career search so much as an identity quest. Asking The Question aspires to end the conflict between who you are and what you do. There is nothing more brave than filtering out the chatter that tells you to be someone you’re not. There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice. Asking The Question is nothing short of an act of courage: It requires a level of commitment and clarity that is almost foreign to our working lives.

Career Advice from Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet - Tuck Investment Club
Q: What is your career advice?

A: If you want to make a lot of money go to Wall Street. More importantly though, do what you would do for free, having passion for what you do is the most important thing. I love what I do; I'm not even that busy. I got a total of five phone calls all day yesterday and one of them was a wrong number. Ms. B from NFM had passion, that's why she was successful.

A few months ago I was talking to another MBA student, a very talented man, about 30 years old from a great school with a great resume. I asked him what he wanted to do for his career, and he replied that he wanted to go into a particular field, but thought he should work for McKinsey for a few years first to add to his resume. To me that's like saving sex for your old age. It makes no sense.

Eat, Sleep, Work, Consume, Die

It's time to break the cycle!
Wired News: Eat, Sleep, Work, Consume, Die
Just because technology makes it possible for us to work 10 times faster than we used to doesn't mean we should do it. The body may be able to withstand the strain -- for a while -- but the spirit isn't meant to flail away uselessly on the commercial gerbil wheel. The boys in corporate don't want you to hear this because the more they can suck out of you, the lower their costs and the higher their profit margin. And profit is god, after all. (Genuflect here, if you must.)

But what's good for them isn't necessarily good for you, no matter how much filthy lucre they throw your way.

Civilization took a definite nose dive when the merchant princes grew ascendant at the expense of the artists and thinkers; when the notion of liberté, égalité, fraternité gave way to "I've got mine; screw you" (an attitude that existed in Voltaire's day, too, you might recall, with unfortunate results for the blue bloods). In the Big Picture, the dead white guys -- Rousseau, Thoreau, Mill -- cared a lot more about your well-being than the live ones like Gates or Jobs or Ellison ever will.

But stock-market capitalism is today's coin of the realm, consumerism its handmaiden, and technology is the great enabler. You think technology benefits you because it gives you an easier row to hoe? Bollocks. The ease it provides is illusory. It has trapped you, made you a slave to things you don't even need but suddenly can't live without. So you rot in a cubicle trying to get the money to get the stuff, when you should be out walking in a meadow or wooing a lover or writing a song.

Zen and Simplicity

Presentation Zen: Gates, Jobs,
A key tenet of the Zen aesthetic is kanso or simplicity. In the kanso concept beauty, grace, and visual elegance are achieved by elimination and omission. Says artist, designer and architect, Dr. Koichi Kawana, "Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means."

A good point to keep in mind for 'life design'.

Minimize/Eliminate Bureaucratic Work to Increase Joy - Lesson from Ikiru!

via Muninn
the opening scene from Ikiru, when we are introduced to the main character, Watanabe Kanji. We are shown him working at his desk at the local municipal government office, completely disinterested in the world around him. The narrator introduces him to the audience saying,
これが、この物語の主人公である。しかし、今この男について語るのが退屈なだけだ。なぜなら、彼は時間を潰しているだけだから。彼には生きた時間がない。つまり、彼は生きているとはいえないからである。

“This is the protagonist of our story. However, to tell his story now would simply be tiresome. This is because [at this point] he is simply passing his time. He has no time to live. That is, you can’t even say that he is alive.”

Is Becoming Wealthy Inherently Evil?

via Steve Pavlina
It isn’t money or the pursuit of money that has any moral connection — you might as well be collecting rocks, beads, or sea shells. It’s the energy you bring to money that matters. Money will play the role in your life that you intend it to play, and that intention will largely arise from your pre-conditioned beliefs. If you’ve been conditioned to associate negative qualities to money (especially through your upbringing), then money will play a largely negative role in your life. If you associate positive beliefs to money, then it will play a positive role.

Your money will derive its energy from you, from who you are as a person. Greater and greater wealth will simply squeeze out more of who you already are. If what’s inside you is good and noble and of high integrity, that’s what will come out. But if what’s inside you is fearful and uncertain, then fear and uncertainty will come out.

If you feel good about yourself, your thoughts, and your behavior, then having more money will only enhance those positive feelings and help you spread them to others.

What are you doing to earn money right now? Is your work devoted to the highest good of all? Or have you put yourself in a situation where you’re earning money in such a way that’s neutral or negative? Do you make money by creating or by competing? Are you giving your best value to the world or trying to get a free ride on the value creation of others?

Nothing can take the place of money in the area in which money works. - Earl Nightingale

Get out of Debt!

Benjamin Franklin's view toward debt, "Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt",
and Adam Smith's wisdom as well, "What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?"

via Incharacter.org
The problem our society, and indeed any society, faces today is to reconcile character and freedom. The Western world is the proud beneficiary of the Enlightenment, that cultural and intellectual movement that espoused freedom, endorsed scientific inquiry, and facilitated trade. But for a good life, mere freedom is not sufficient. It must work with and support commitment, for out of commitment arises the human character that will guide the footsteps of people navigating the tantalizing opportunities that freedom offers. Freedom and character are not incompatible, but keeping them in balance is a profound challenge for any culture.

A wise inaction smoothes the way for efficient actions - Taoist saying

ESPN analyst Lee Corso: "Society associates intensity with strength, and fun with weakness, and it's exactly the opposite."

via Evelyn Rodrguez:
As Pico Iyer wrote several years ago in an essay in Time magazine, "if noise is the signature tune of the world, silence is the music of the other world, the closest thing we know to the harmony of the spheres." He goes on to say that it is no coincidence that places of worship are places of silence, where we can listen to something behind the clamor of the world. Silence is the tribute we pay to holiness; we slip off words when we enter a sacred space, just as we slip off shoes. -
Galen Guengerich, "Wide Margins"

Thomas More, Tommaso Campanella, Francis Bacon and Karl Marx all painted pictures of a future in which there is a strong sense of community, in which work is fulfilling and leisure is used wisely and creatively. Even Marx, who is remembered more for his economic and political theories, started out with a vision of everyday life in the communist society, where a person might "hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner".

If idealism without a dose of reality is simply naive, realism without a dash of imagination is utterly depressing. If this really was the end of history, it would be an awful anticlimax. Look at the way we live now, in the west. We grow up in increasingly fragmented communities, hardly speaking to the people next door, and drive to work in our self-contained cars. We work in standardised offices and stop at the supermarket on our way home to buy production-line food which we eat without relish. There is no great misery, no hunger, and no war. But nor is there great passion or joy. Despite our historically unprecedented wealth, more people than ever before suffer from depression.

The major political parties are reduced to tinkering with the details of our current system. Their only objective seems to be: more of the same, only perhaps a little bit more cheaply. They have no grand vision.

It is this complacency, this lack of idealism, that is in part responsible for the repugnance with which Muslim extremists view western society. When George Bush speaks of exporting democracy to the Middle East, he should realise that liberal democracy on its own is a limp, anaemic idea. If the west is to provide a more inspiring ideal, then it is time we devoted more thought to the questions that Plato, More and Marx placed at the heart their utopias; the question of how to make work more rewarding, leisure more abundant, and communities more friendly.