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July 2009

Finding The One Who Is Not Busy

by marc | Fri, 07/31/2009 - 8:05am

There is a story about two Zen teachers from seventh-century China. One teacher is sweeping some stone steps inside the monastery with a wooden broom. He is approached by the other teacher, who looks at him and remarks, “Too busy.” (This is a way of saying, “Why are you sweeping when you should be meditating or undertaking some type of contemplative practice?”) The first teacher, holding his broom, responds by saying, “You should know that there is one who is not busy.”

Though we often associate busyness with activity and speed, and lack of busyness with stopping or slowing down, this is not always the case. It is possible to be actively engaged and not be busy. Not being “busy” does not require that you stop, slow down, or step out of the activity of your life. Most of the time, we learn, we adjust, we find our composure, right in the midst of the activity and intensity of our lives. We have to!

Less Effort, More Results

Sit-down Comedy: Humor At Work

by marc | Mon, 07/27/2009 - 7:27am

Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves for we shall never cease to be amused.

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? David Bader

I’ve recently begun thinking that my next career may be to become a “sit-down” comedian. Whereas stand-up comedy is aimed at being funny and making people laugh, sit-down comedy would be aimed at being funny and helping people to awaken, to free themselves of false views, and to be more appreciative and alive. The main thrust of sit-down comedy would be allowing people to see that what we think of as a solid, substantial self, with all its associated problems and concerns, is a fiction. Once we realize this we have just enough distance from our thoughts, assumptions, and problems that we can laugh at ourselves. Since we are all born and we will all die, what isn’t funny? Sit-down comedy would, of course, be performed sitting down.

Are You Happy?

by marc | Thu, 07/16/2009 - 11:07am

Dear reader: Are you happy?

I notice in my own life, when people ask me – “Are you happy?” I often don’t know what to say. I feel blessed, inspired, humbled, and often confused. I sometimes feel as though I am doing too much, sometimes not enough. I often feel overwhelmed by my shortcomings, and grateful for my loved ones, friends, teachers, and students. Am I grateful? Yes? Happy; I struggle with this question. I’m grateful to be able to struggle with this question.

I've enjoyed reading a terrific article in the June Atlantic Magazine, regarding a study that followed the lives of 268 Harvard students from the classes of 1942, ’43, and’44 for more than 70 years. A quote from Dr. George Valliant, who conducted the study for more than 42 years, when asked, What have you learned from the Study? – “That the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships with other people.”

Teamwork: The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

by marc | Mon, 07/13/2009 - 9:32am

Teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage; greater than strategy, than finance or technology. People working in teams can achieve more than people working individually could ever imagine.
Here’s an experiment, that I’ve had much success with, in improving the performance of teams:
1) At a team meeting, ask each team member to have a short conversation with the person sitting to their right, answering the question: What do we do well as a team? What are our strengths?

"Radical" View of Business: Radical View of Life

by marc | Wed, 07/08/2009 - 11:17am

“Radical: arising from or going to the root or source; fundamental; basic.”
Webster’s Dictionary

When my son was a teenager he once said to me, “Dad, I just don’t get it. Why do people spend so much time doing what they don’t really enjoy, just to get ahead or to make money? Don’t they get it? Don’t they see that we are all going to die?” I thought this was a great observation and a great question.

Accomplishing More By Doing Less

by marc | Wed, 07/01/2009 - 9:14am

Less: Accomplishing More By Doing Less - Prologue

There is an old story of a man riding very fast on a horse. As he rides past his friend standing on the side of the road, the friend yells, “Where are you going?” The rider turns toward his friend and yells, “I don’t know, ask the horse!”