You may remember Eli Whitney as the inventor of the cotton gin, but there was so much more to him worth noting. Mr Whitney, born in Massachusetts and a 1792 graduate of Yale, was a father of invention. More common than you would think, fathers of invention are the minds and hands behind many of …
Tag: change
Change, Vulnerability and Self-Respect
"He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I am surrounded by people who aspire to excellence. They push themselves, dream big and take risks. They questions assumptions, test their limitations and welcome correction. They learn to use pressure to …
The “Inner Go”
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman used an interesting quote yesterday from Lewis Mumford's book "The Condition of Man," about the development of civilization. Reflecting on the American nation in 1944, Mumford drew a chilling parallel to the decline of the mighty Roman Empire: Everyone aimed at security: no one accepted responsibility. What was plainly …
Take comfort in rituals but don’t stop there!
My local Starbucks posted a sticker on the front door the other day that reads: "TAKE COMFORT IN RITUALS." The slogan got me thinking about the things in my life that border on ritualistic - my Matins and Vigils, Christmas decorations, tying yellow ribbons around old oak trees, and so on. What purpose do they …
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Time to Think
A colleague and dear friend of mine gave me an excellent book the other day called "Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind" by Nancy Kline. I read it yesterday afternoon and I am strongly contemplating making this required reading for the entire company. The author began the book's introduction with a story …
Self-Determination Theory: Creating Long-Lasting Change
A long-standing central desire of mine is to help my fellows live healthier, happier lives. I do my best to center my words, my work and my living on the theme of life enhancement, yet I am often surprised by how rarely people tend to act on what they know they need to do to live healthier, more balanced lives. A circuit breaker …
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The Third Approach: Baby Steps
As a businessman interested in making a positive difference in the world, I am often faced with the challenge of finding the way to make change digestible. One way to present the necessity for change is by appealing to logic and reason. Another way is to make an emotional appeal, calling on the heart of …
Our Planet is a Curious Place: Change, Grudges and Forgiveness
Our planet is a curious place. Filled with a remarkable array of both animate and inanimate objects, its surface and all that dwell thereupon morph from moment to moment. Never were there two moments exactly the same in history. A snapshot taken today of the earth in its fulness would be hardly recognizable if shown …
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Externalities and Personal Responsibility
Sometimes feedback doesn't come packaged in exactly the way you'd like it. Don't react, rather, let the core value and meaning of the feedback take root in your heart and ignore the rest. Don't let yourself off on a technicality! The wise person receives all feedback with equanimity and poise, making the necessary changes with as little fanfare as necessary. No need to make a spectacle of yourself every time a little change is in order!
Peace be unto you, my friends.
Peace is not always inherent in pacifism. Similarly, peace is not always passive. In fact, peace is an active, vibrant and magnetic state of being that can, if it is given the chance, move mountains.
Gregory Hake 