The Necessity of Philosophy

From the time of Plato and Aristotle, astute philosophers have sought the wisdom to understand what makes people feel their best, do their best, and become their best. In our time of massive uncertainties and daunting challenges, every organization of people working together needs to put the most effective tools of such wisdom into everybody's hands and minds. That way, people become much more hopeful, more engaged, more committed, more creative, and more productive because they're truly more empowered.

Wisdom is a force multiplier. Unwise choices never lead anywhere good. Ordinary mindsets aren't optimal for extraordinary times. Only the best of wisdom can bring us the resources for transformative innovation and genuinely excellent work in all its dimensions. The best leaders understand this and do everything they can to introduce the most practical philosophy to all their associates. And I'm grateful for that understanding, because it's allowed me to have a wonderful career for decades as an independent philosopher, bringing people exactly that. The right sort of philosophy isn't after all an elective luxury, but a required necessity for that excellence consisting in and produced only by the inner happiness wisdom alone brings.

Greatness - with Jay Forte

What does it take to be great? A new friend, Jay Forte, just interviewed me for a podcast on his website The Greatness Zone. I'm going to post a blog of his below on the topic, and let it direct any of you who might want to hear the interview to the place where you can. Here's Jay:

Who’s Your 'Go-To' To Learn How To Have A Great Life? - Jay Forte

With thousands of years of history, learning and wisdom available to us, who could you check with, what could you refer to or what wisdom could guide you to know how to live a great life? What does the wisdom of the philosophers have to say to you to help you live life like it matters – to live in your greatness zone?

I’ll be honest, I took philosophy in college because it was required – I didn’t have any burning interest in connect with what I felt to be outdated thinking from old dudes in togas. But as I got over my uninformed understanding of philosophy, I came face-to-face with profound guidance and wisdom in how to show up successfully and authentically to a constantly changing world. I now find I am a convert to incorporating wisdom from every generation to learn how to show up more successfully in the moments of life.

I thought I would share some of the profound wisdom that supports the message of The Greatness Zone and introduce you to the practical side of philosophy that has so much guidance for us in today’s wild world. Just maybe it will pique your interest to return to the wisdom of the philosophers as a go-to source for successful life wisdom.

“The archer must know what he’s trying to hit, then he must aim and control the weapon by his skill. Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is heading for, no wind is the right wind.” ~ Seneca

So many of us just show up to life without a plan. A meaningful plan can only happen when we become aware of who we are and what is going on in our world. We can then start to notice what areas in life are for us – which areas align to our best abilities and passions. Once clear, we can direct ourselves into areas that matter – we can move forward on a plan to achieve our goals. Without the clarity, we roam aimless and live most of our lives searching for success and happiness, out of our greatness zones.

“Anyone is free who lives as he wishes to live.” ~ Epictetus 

We live in a noisy, loud and pushy world. The only time we are truly living authentically and free as the philosophers say, is when we are choosing how to live. Learning to listen to our own voice instead of the voices that say buy this, be this, live here, drive this, study this, own this, etc requires awareness of what our own voice sounds like. We can only access our own voice when we learn to disconnect and unplug from our world – to create some quiet. In that quiet, we are able to look inside ourselves to determine what matters to us. All important information will come from the inside out. Have a plan to connect to that information to know what you want in life. Then you will be free because you are living life on your terms.

“Discover your talents. Develop those talents. Deploy your talents in the world for the good of others as well as yourself." ~ Tom Morris 

Tom, today’s profound practical philosopher, calls this "3D living" – discover, develop, deploy. Your talents are your gifts – your unique abilities that help you create your roadmap for a life that both suits you and one that brings your best to all you do. We are not great at everything; however we are amazing at some things. Discover, develop and deploy those things and you will find yourself in your greatness zone. This is the key living a successful, happy and impactful life.

There is wisdom everywhere – guidance to help you show up big to life, or as I say, to live in your greatness zone. Build on the wisdom of others – they advance your progress and help you find direction. They remind you to look within, not without, for guidance, direction and purpose. They remind you to both treasure yourself and to see the value in others. They have it all going on – and we could be a more significant society and world if we listened more to what has been shared. Find your favorite philosopher and build on that wisdom to live each day in your greatness zone.

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LISTEN – The PODCAST 

Episode 24 – How To Have A Great Life - Tom Morris, Practical Philosopher, Speaker, Educator and Mentor

In my powerful and inspiring conversation with today’s entertaining, wise and practical philosopher, Tom Morris, we talk about what greatness is and how the wisdom of the philosophers provides guidance how to have a great life today. Always passionate, lively, entertaining and wise, Tom has activated a love of philosophy in his classes as a professor at Notre Dame and shares the practical relevance of philosophy in running extraordinary organizations.

This conversation is loaded with powerful and practical wisdom including the 3D living approach, what Michelangelo and wood carvers teach us about focus, why “know yourself” is the key to finding your next adventure in life and how to access all the information you need to have a great life. There are too many Morris gems to list so make a commitment to bring a note pad, a great cup of coffee and listen to this one. You’ll play this one over and over. Brilliant.

Click here to listen to the podcast. Click here to download the podcast from iTunes. Click here to connect to Tom.

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Quality

"By the work, you know the workman." Jean de La Fountaine.

Cause and effect. A great guitarist plays a great solo. A master mechanic gets a car to purr. An original thinker writes original books. A salesperson who cares shows that care in her preparations, and serves her client like no one else. 

The old view was that this is a matter of pride. Our jobs never define us. But the quality of the work we do will disclose us, reveal us, and give us away. It will also not just show who we are today, but in great part determine who we'll be tomorrow.

Do we do our best? Do we strive for excellence every day?

The great philosophers would have us recognize that all our choices define who we are. We're known for the quality we bring to the world. Let's remember that and pour our hearts into everything we do.

Today. 

And tomorrow.

Love

Love is the spirit of compassion, care, and forgiveness.

It unfolds in service to others and the best growth of the self.

It is the deepest and only wellspring for true greatness in life.

It seeks the best in others, and for them, while cultivating its own garden well.

To live without it is a struggle. To live with it is a better struggle, in the warm light of hope.

Love is first a commitment, then an attitude, then a belief, then a feeling, and then everything.

Love conquers all. Eventually.

Love transforms all. Now.

Love is the transcendent source of all good things.

It is the only enduring form of strength.

It is the sole source of peace and happiness.

To love is to live in full.

When a Sip of Wine is Much More.

Oh! The unexpected depths! The intense aromas! The rich bottomless structure, and yet ethereal smoothness! The mouth feel! The surprise of its all-enveloping engagement of the senses! And: The perfect match for a small burger. Or two.

I opened a bottle of wine this past weekend that practically jumped out of the glass. Or maybe what happened is that it almost pulled me into the glass. We had a mystical experience together, in any case, the two of us - and that's for sure.

I was just cooking hamburgers and wanted something good to go with them. I had no idea.

I really didn't know anything about the Schrader 2006 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vinyard pictured above, except that I'd had it squirreled away for a long time, and basically forgotten about it, but when I happened to come across it, I sort of vaguely remembered having really enjoyed another of their bottles years ago. So I picked it up, carried it into the kitchen, and popped it while the bacon was still sizzling in the old black, cast iron skillet, prepping the surface for the burgers.

Oh, man.

Have you ever had a well-made Napa Cab that you almost didn't have to drink? The nose enough was sufficient to engage you down to your soul, not to mention your toes? You just breathe deeply and say, "Oh, My! Oh Gee!" Or some more colorful linguistic equivalent thereof. And then you go running across the room or down the hall to share it:

"Hey! Take a Whiff of This! Can you believe it? Yeah! Take a Taste! Go ahead!"

And then you delight in the look of ecstasy on the face of your spouse, friend, neighbor, or whomever you handed the glass to.

Down the rabbit hole, through the looking glass, behind the wardrobe and into Narnia. Mr. Tumnus! You make an incredible cab!

Quality counts. Passion, care, and world-class expertise pay off.

When something stands apart in an immensely crowded field, you take notice. It evokes a rare sort of respect, and genuine admiration.

Whenever I come across anything of such excellence, it makes me redouble my own commitment to quality. It reminds me of the difference that makes. And it makes me grateful once more to share the planet with some other people who care about what they do.

I can be inspired by almost anything that displays excellence of the highest caliber. In fact, I was inspired by the first moment of aromas wafting forth from the glass. Not even the bacon in the pan could mask the magic that leapt up to my nose and reeled me in like a fish on a line.

Inspiration.

What, recently, has inspired you?

For those who are reading this here at my website, rather than on LinkedIn, I have an extra word or two. This Schrader was like a recent Futo and my first really great cab, a 2001 Shaeffer Hillside Select. Also in this category are a Colgin I had a while back, and a few Herb Lamb Cabs. Tell me what you like! In Vino, Veritas.

The Two Great Motivators

There are two great motivators, love and fear. Fear narrows us and holds us down. Love broadens us and lifts us up.

Which will you choose today?

Choose well.

Machiavelli, in his famous book The Prince, by the way, got it all wrong. He said that we're ruled by love or fear, and that love is too fickle, so we should motivate through fear. Fear is a Max-Minimizer: People motivated by fear figure out the least they can do in order to still avoid the feared consequence (not engaging in the very least or minimum they might do, but rather the maximal level the minimum has to rise to in order to avoid punishiment). They never do their best, or become their best. People motivated by love connect what they do to their deepest values and highest aspirations and, as a result, soar.

In another book, Machiavelli got it right, but it's a book no one reads, The Discourses. He said, "Mercenaries never make the best soldiers." Why? He doesn't explicitly spell it out. But by the context you can tell. What motivates mercenaries? Money. What motivates the very best soldiers? Love. Love of country, family, city, comrades, and even, traditionally, a love of honor.

But Machiavelli never fully understood what makes everyone, not just soldiers, their best. When we're motivated by love, we maximize our efforts to learn and grow and do well. We become more. And we accomplish what we never could have attained and sustained through fear.

So, as you can see, I recommend love. It may not be all you need, but it's the main thing, for sure.