Howard's Gift / Eric C. Sinoway

• Somehow I figure that success will work itself out. what I worry about is whether or not I'll be happy.
• Success doesn't always equal happiness.
• feeling unfulfilled : Satisfied
• Too many benchmarks of success are set in relation to other people.
• Each of us gets to define satisfaction for ourselves.
• What works for other folks- co-workers, friends, family, even role models- must be right for us.
• a clear framework
• Hope is not a plan.
• Friend, Foe, or Silent
• We believe we're all equally worthy of and prepared for success.
• We just assume that everything must work out.
• But a meaningful, satisfying life consists of the entire puzzle. It takes real thought to design and time to build.
• The more complex, long-term picture of their lives
• Ignoring the rest of the picture often comes at a significant emotional cost.
• focusing almost exclusively on one goal is like exercising a single muscle: your overall health doesn't improve; in fact, it's pretty unhealthy.
• Start at the end. George should start by thinking about what he wants his life to have looked like when it's over.
• a company must have nonfinancial performance metrics as well, and, actually, profit can be viewed as simply a constraint on the company's fundamental mission.
• Having unfulfilled wants can fell quite painful.
• the luxury of simplicity
• a shift from needs to wants
• achieved career success but not satisfaction, and certainly not fulfillment.
• the importance of balancing needs and wants
• You have the ability to shape who it is that become over our lifetime, to shape the nature and path of your career in the context of your life.
• why were you not more like yourself?
• who am I, and what is the best way to express that professionally, given the present circumstances in my life?
• It's a great reminder not to expect too much from our flawed human capacity for planning out our lives and managing our time.
• General satisfaction-meaning most of the time you are satisfied, but not always or not completely.

 

• Who do I want to be?
• How much do I want to experience in this self?
• How important is this self relative to each of the others?
• Those answers will guide the choices you make about exactly what to juggle.

 

• the ultimate grade in life is not based on how far and fast we've walked the bea or how many things we've juggled-it's based on how much we've enjoyed the exercise.
• People, generally, are less likely to be wasting time and energy if they have an appreciation of the opportunities and privileges they're given.
• a balanced sense of expectation and reality
• The parents must keep it together for the kids, and we can't both crash and burn emotionally at the same time. that means, no matter what we're dealing with in our career, the kids don't feel the impact.
• engaging in endless comparisons
• life is not a classroom. we can't get an A on every facet of life every single day.
• the intrinsic value of an hour of your time is set solely by you.
• needs among wants
• that includes the want that are so strong it's difficult to separate them out from the needs
• the Investment cost, the thing you do- the time and energy you expend- in order to pursue the choice
• I think that people tend to focus mostly, and most consciously, on investment costs, on what's being expended.
• take a broader and longer-term perspective
• you just have to remember not to ignore anything really important as you shift priorities.
• a sense of renewal- a boost of emotional and intellectual energy as must as nutritional energy- that carries me forward no matter how long the day becomes
• make the choice that gives you the most energy
• I'm working hard to see myself only in relation to my own spiritual, intellectual, and professional development.
• my progress as a human being is measured only by where I was at a prior state of development
• the only person I'm going to be competing against will be myself.
• the belief that determined effort will always overcome an enduring shortcoming.
• assuming that being really smart in general guarantees you'll have no problem picking up a specific skill set.
• Confidence is not the same as arrogance; expressing the fact that you're good at something is not the same as self-promotion.
• you can't just reach up and take a suit off the rack marked successful or fulfilled or rich. It ain't gonna work.
• As long as I've got something to offer, I feel a sense of obligation to offer it. And as long as I can take in new experiences and face new challenges, I'll be able to benefit from someone who's further down a similar path.
• the difference between being in a culture that works for you and one that doesn't? well, that's like the difference between just having a job and doing your life's work.
• I've rarely met a successful entrepreneur who likes risk. they figure out how to manage their fear of risk,, how to proceed in spite of risk.