Some unexpected pearls of wisdom
Unexpected pearls of wisdom
I love the idea of “stems” in music … small encapsulated bits of magic that get shared and passed around, and are often the seeds for new creations. So I’m thinking of these various bits and pieces of wisdom I’ve collected over the last little while as change stems. For some, you’ll see the obvious link to transformation. Others might be a little obscure.
“Never accept a ‘no’ from someone who can’t give a ‘yes’.”
~ a lesson passed on by my friend Eric from one of his mentors
"The unpalatable truth is that the best change approach is one that builds off what best practice exists, but counters this with deep knowledge of the organisation and a clear articulation about what needs to be different. It requires clear-sighted planning and sustainability, but it equally needs messy experimentation, an understanding of the emotional agenda and boldness."
~ Kate Lye shared this with me, although we can’t find its source. If you know where it comes from, please let me know.
“Sensemaking starts with chaos.”
~ Karl Weick
“There are only two things that determine how your life turns out. One is luck, which we don’t have any control over. And second, where you land in that range of possible outcomes is going to be determined by the quality of your decisions. The quality of your decisions determines, in large part, the quality of your life.”
~ Annie Duke
“If you always let people in in traffic, no one can cut you off.” Also, “If you can train yourself to ask ‘is there a better way to do this?’ at random intervals ten times a day, you will become unstoppable.”
~ Cate Hall’s Substack
“Everyone is conservative about what he knows best.”
~ Robert Conquest’s first law of politics. (See last week’s newsletter for #3.)
“What you think is the point is not the point at all but only the beginning of the sharpness.”
~ Flann O’Brien
“I want to change my mind. Or more accurately, be receptive to God changing it. Not in a zombified, cultish, drink the Kool-aid manner, but in the sense of a continual opening to dare-I-say-it grace? To more reality, more imagination and more freedom, even when that very doorway paradoxically comes with an understanding of limit. My mind has often been a fearful, defended and judgemental place. Thieves of my time and energy everywhere. Avaunt, you cullions!”
“The patient inherit everything the impatient leave behind.”
~ Shane Parrish
“Your purpose is not the thing you do. It’s the thing that happens in others when you do what you do.”
~ Dr Caroline Leaf
“Not all criticism is equally valid.”
~ Seth Godin’s list of 65
“Solvitur ambulando.” (When in doubt, go for a walk.)
~ Diogenes
“Motivation is weather: changeable, unpredictable, often absent when you need it most. Discipline is climate: the steady, reliable conditions you create for yourself regardless of how you feel on any given day."
~ Maalvika’s Substack
“I’m still Trojan Horsing, smuggling wit, wisdom and warmth wherever I can.”
“I arrive at the venue about thirty minutes before the show begins. I usually have a room of my own where I change into my stage clothes, put on a little make-up, and do some vocal exercises. Then I sit in silence, with my eyes closed, for about fifteen minutes. During this time I bring to mind those dear to me who have passed away, focusing on each person individually, and silently solicit their presence. For someone of my age this is a fairly substantial task. I assign specific qualities or powers to them that reflect their personalities, and I call upon those qualities.”
