In our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). The act of engaging in professional endeavors, in any capacity (i.e., as an employee, employer, entrepreneur, contractor, volunteer, paid, full time, part time, intermittently, etc.) is an expression of our ideas and creative talents (“art”).
In this episode our topic is, “The Real Reason You Can’t Have It All Is…” So, let’s get right to ‘the answer’! A) You don’t want ‘it all.’ B) ‘It All’ doesn’t exist. There are many public discussions that are gender focused regarding the general concept of working outside of a family and unit and contemporaneously working inside of a family unit. The stereotype is that a female is not able to work outside a family unit while working inside of one (and that their work and family will both suffer due to the lack of time and attention). For males the stereotype is that they are not able to work outside the family unit while working inside of one (and that their family unit will suffer due to the lack of time and attention while they prioritize their outside work). There is guilt, shame and regret for males and females in their pursuit of an unattainable fiction ('it all'). In the Harry Chapin song, “Cat’s in the Cradle” a father laments that his child, [...] In our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). The act of engaging in professional endeavors, in any capacity (i.e., as an employee, employer, entrepreneur, contractor, volunteer, paid, full time, part time, intermittently, etc.) is an expression of our ideas and creative talents (“art”). All of this is in furtherance of our mission to surpass our goals! Our episode today is, “Would you rather be a pig happy or Socrates unhappy?” (i.e., is ignorance bliss?)
1) Where did the show topic come from? From a book written by John Stuart Mill. The book is titled, “Utilitarianism” and was first published in 1861. From Frostburg University, “Is the high-strung and hardworking intellectual superior to the relaxed and benevolent airhead? Considering that high culture requires so much attention and effort, and that it does not seem to pay off too well in terms of sociability and contentment, is it really worth the price it exacts? This is the question that John Stuart Mill tries to answer in the second chapter of his book Utilitarianism (first published in 1861). In that chapter Mill offers the famous judgment (in favor of the New Yorkers, as it were) that "it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied." Basically Mill contends that a highly cultured person is a happier person, a person who gets more pleasure out of life than an airhead--even if such a person experiences a great deal of frustration and dissatisfaction as a result of being educated and cultured.” (http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/Mill.htm) 2) What is Utilitarianism? From Stanford University, “Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced. What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view one ought to maximize the overall good — that is, consider the good of others as well as one's own good.” (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/) 3) Who was Socrates? “Socrates, (born c. 470 bce, Athens [Greece]—died 399 bce, Athens), Greek philosopher whose [...] In our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). The act of engaging in professional endeavors, in any capacity (i.e., as an employee, employer, entrepreneur, contractor, volunteer, paid, full time, part time, intermittently, etc.) is an expression of our ideas and creative talents (“art”). All of this is in furtherance of our mission to surpass our goals! Our episode today is, “Each Time That You Treat Yourself Badly, Your Enemies Rejoice. So, STOP. ”
We hurt. We hurt ourselves. Our enemies rejoice. Wait! What? We hurt. It may be that awful events in our life have resulted in pain (health challenges, deaths of loved ones, natural disasters, financial challenges, etc.). Some of us react to experiencing pain by creating additional pain and inflicting it (on others and/ or ourselves). This makes those who seek to harm us happy that [...] In our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). The act of engaging in professional endeavors, in any capacity (i.e., as an employee, employer, entrepreneur, contractor, volunteer, paid, full time, part time, intermittently, etc.) is an expression of our ideas and creative talents (“art”). All of this is in furtherance of our mission to surpass our goals! Our episode today is, "GO BIG or GO HOME! (Except for with people, money and health.)"
You are the type of person who gets the job done! People admire your tenacity, focus and intensity! You are squared away and run a tight ship. You live life to the fullest and you work and play with glee and exuberance! You don’t have any regrets as you have left no stone unturned in ensuring your life is better than your dreams. In fact, you are often the person who is asked to handle the most intense and challenging work projects. Other people trust that your seemingly inexhaustible resources of energy and determination can make the impossible, possible. You love the big risk, big reward action! No safety net, no submission to fear. You are addicted to the adrenaline rush of the biggest adventures in life. Start a business from scratch with no money, no connections and no credit? No problem. You are a believer in what is achievable with a well planned strategy and sheer will driving the execution plan. You have been rewarded for this zeal and extraordinary focus in work, in competition and in your personal pride in surpassing your goals!! In fact, you often are confused by what you perceive to be the lack of desire and dedication in other people (‘how can they stomach giving such a half-hearted effort?!’). When you show up to the game of life, you come to win. You give everything that you have to everything that you do and you leave it all out on the field. These traits have served you well professionally, financially and in many aspects, psychologically. You are able to immerse yourself in your tasks and truly feel alive and inspired the majority of the time! What could possibly be the problem with this fired up, passionate, authentic lifestyle? How could there ever be a negative ramification of giving your all to everything that you do (e.g., Go BIG or Go HOME!)? Give it your all! Except… 1) People. Don’t give your heart up front. I know that you are incredibly decisive. When you make a decision, it is made and you are pleased and relaxed. So, when you find a person that is wonderful, you commit wholeheartedly! This is not the best approach. You overwhelm other people and they may not want to spend time with you. Remember, the intensity that you feel is not typical. This often works to your benefit in your career but it is a detriment with interpersonal relationships. You must force yourself to tone it down, turn it down or use any other method to make yourself less of a force of nature. You must dole out small doses of your commitment and then force yourself to do nothing and wait for reciprocity. If they do not reciprocate, you must cease your actions to “take the relationship to the next level.” Give them space and time. 2) Money. Time is your friend. Small doses of action and long term strategy are the key to long term stability. Go big by spending everything you have will likely hurt you, your loved ones, and your ability to enjoy life. Budget your risk money (a tiny percentage of your overall resources) and have fun with that. Never exceed this budget. The financial graveyard is littered with the ruins of many great minds who failed to restrain themselves financially and ended up destitute. You are better than this outcome so force yourself to practice mundane, predictable long-term financial focus. 3) Health. Everyday consistency. We all know about the person who abused their health with poor diet, abuse of alcohol, lack of exercise, excessive exercise, abuse of performance enhancing drugs, etc., and ‘got away with it’! Yes, but why play a game that deprives your only physical body of the best possible outcome. If you cheat and ‘get away with it’ you have lost. It is your body. The only one you will ever have. Taunting and testing it to its limits is foolish and only hurts you. You are better than treating your physical form like a garbage receptacle. Healthy diet, exercise and self care are ‘boring’ in some aspects yet they result in a higher probability of longer and higher quality of life. This is your winning concept to focus on [...] |
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