It does not seem to be true that work necessarily needs to be unpleasant. It may always have to be hard, or at least harder than doing nothing at all. But there is ample evidence that work can be enjoyable, and that indeed, it is often the most enjoyable part of life.
If the firms that employ an increasing majority of the population are driven solely to satisfy the owner’s greed at the expense of working conditions, of the stability of the community, and of the health of the environment, chances are that the quality of our lives will be worse than it is now.
One must develop skills that stretch capacities, that make one more than what one is.
Happiness does not simply happen to us. It’s something that we make happen.
Wake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to.
It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.
People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy.
For better or worse, our future is now closely tied to human creativity.
Find a way to express what moves you.
Shift often from openness to closure.
An ideal organization is one in which each worker’s potentialities find room for expression.
Develop what you lack.
Produce as many ideas as possible. Try to produce unlikely ideas.
Control over consciousness cannot be institutionaliz ed. As soon as it becomes part of a set of social rules and norms, it ceases to be effective in the way it was originally intended to be.
Goals transform a random walk into a chase.
We have learned how to develop five-minute and even one-minute managers. But we would do better to ask ourselves what it takes to be an executive who helps build a better future.
Try to be inspired by something every day. Try to inspire at least one person every day.
Getting control of life is never easy, and sometimes it can be definitely painful.
Perform with elan, brilliance and dash – at concert pitch.
We have all experienced times when, instead of being buffeted by anonymous forces, we do feel in control of our actions, masters of our own fate. On the rare occasions that it happens, we feel a sense of exhilaration...