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I'm in the (freezing) Midwest this week to keynote a couple of events and see friends. During Q&A someone asked whether I feel confused about what's happening on the macro-economic and political front and how that affects how I plan for the future. Here's the essence of what I tried to say:
I distrust anyone who says he can predict the future or anyone who is overly certain about anything. I am uncertain about most things that are going on around me -- especial
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Comments
11.21.08
I'm a big fan Of Joan Didion's POV, and I'm all about learning from other's life lessons. Thanks for bringing some of her wisdom into this discussion.
11.21.08
I love the Didion quote too!
As a caveat to what you have said, I think we can train in how we respond to the uncertainty around us. Knowing it's inevitable is a good starting place, but I think merely recognizing this can still leave one feeling disempowered to take action and really commit to the vision of what s/he wants.
I just got finished reading Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth by Ed Diener and his son Robert Biswas-Diener. It summarizes what a lot of coaches and positive psychologists have said for years regarding how to "train in happiness," but I think it does a better job than perhaps any book I've recently read in laying out a game plan for how to direct your Attention, make Interpretations, and call upon Memories to cultivate and sustain a healthy world view and derive greater life satisfaction.
11.21.08
It's true, Ben. You just can't know the future. All you can do is aim for what you want and be as prepared as you can for other-than-what-you-want to happen. And sometimes (not always, but sometimes) the latter turns out to be better than what you originally wanted! Either way, it's life, and making the most of what DOES come maximizes happiness.
11.23.08
I share your beliefs to an extent; however, for me, it's not so much about being confused. I have accepted that the universe is random and that I am not in control of many aspects of my life. When I was younger, this was frustrating for me. As I've gotten older, I have accepted that the biggest factor in my life is the one that I can't control--randomness, or luck. Anyone who says it boils down to hard work, intelligence, and people skills is simply fooling themselves. I would gladly trade all of these for just being in the right place at the right time. Being lucky is not when opportunity meets preparation. People who live by this mantra are fools in my opinion. There's a reason why morons makes millions a year. Doing certain things in life can improve your odds, but you have to remember that there's still a chance things won't work out. Most personal coaches and authors will tell you otherwise--their paycheck depends upon it. In the end, there is no fomula for success because there's no way to eliminate radomness.
11.24.08
Thank you. I sometimes think that I should have things "figured out." However, I make my plans and then life happens and I can't do anything about it. I'm graduating in a few short weeks and have no certain plans for the future. I've never felt so free and so confused. I joke with my roommate, "Today is the day I'm getting it together." But even the most successful people have uncertainty in their life. The sooner we accept that we can't control everything, the better we'll be at controlling our attitudes toward unexpected events. C'est la vi.
02.05.09
Trust jesus, some people call my faith a placebo, or just a mere mind trick resulting in positive thinking which transforms into that sense of well-being . However, i refuse to accept thinking this world happened by chance. If its true, then we all have nothing to live for, or we do, for another self-help book to ease our journey to ultimate death.
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