From “Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner” by Frederick Buechner AN OLD SILENT pond./Into the pond a frog jumps./Splash! Silence again.” It is perhaps the best known of all Japanese haiku. No subject could be more humdrum. No language could be more pedestrian. Basho, the poet, makes no comment on what he […]
From “Cumulative Advantage: How to Build Momentum for Your Ideas, Business, and Life Against All Odds” by Mark W. Schaefer Chilean sociologists Mario Molina and Mauricio Bucca noticed that when their friends played a card game that was totally based on chance, they insisted that their winning streak was based on superior skills. This inspired
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From “Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment” by J. Brent Bill The Inner Teacher uses our life experiences to show the way opening before us. Look at the life map you drew earlier. As you look at the highs and lows and in-betweens, how did particular experiences open a way for you? Do you,
Yet Owen Meany was a saint Read More »
From “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” by Peter F. Drucker Entrepreneurship is thus a distinct feature whether of an individual or an institution. It is not a personality trait; in thirty years I have seen people of the most diverse personalities and temperaments perform well in entrepreneurial challenges. To be sure, people who need certainty are unlikely
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From “On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old” by Parker J. Palmer The poet goes on to say, “Who serves best doesn’t always understand.” Those words are liberating because there’s so much about life that’s triple-wrapped in mystery. When I’m sure I know exactly what I’m doing and why – so sure
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From “Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation” by Parker J. Palmer Vexed as I was about vocation, I was quite certain that this was the job for me. So as is the custom in the Quaker community, I called on half a dozen trusted friends to help me discern my vocation
the clearness committee Read More »
From “Trust the Whisper: How Answering Quiet Callings Inspires Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Grace“ by Kathy Izard My life plans had typically been driven by the two loudest voices in my head: my “to-do voice” and my “fear voice.” My to-do voice kept me focused on daily tasks, which included all the rational reminders like
it began with a whisper Read More »
From “What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman” by Lerita Coleman Brown Young Howard Thurman tossed aside financial and racial obstacles to obtaining a secondary education and moved beyond the oppressive atmosphere of Daytona Beach. At the time, colored children were only permitted to complete the seventh grade, thereby disqualifying them
From “Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life” by Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird It is remarkable to see how prayer and contemplation open your eyes to nature, and how nature makes you more attentive to divine guidance. I once saw contemplation as something done best in the quiet of
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From “The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything” by Stephen M. R. Covey Low trust causes friction, whether it is caused by unethical behavior or by ethical but incompetent behavior (because even good intentions can never take the place of bad judgment). Low trust is the greatest cost in life and in
Low trust slows everything Read More »