Week 2 - Reading - Rule Number 6: Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Image by: Nick La Fountain

For many, I imagine, reading chapter six in The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander was a reminder of why we must learn to lighten up and not take ourselves so seriously. For me though, this chapter was a reminder of why I approach life with such a laid back, fun loving spirit. While I have it in me to be very serious and professional, I choose to spend most of my days finding the joy and happiness in my life and others. Zander talks about being fulfilled in what you do rather than doing things simply in order to move up a ladder. In humans, it is a natural instinct to want to "position oneself in the hierarchy", but as Zander suggests, this usually leads to a downward spiral. This is known as the "calculating self", but if we can move into a "central self", we can realize a life in which we are free from an identity, free from judgment and free from battling with the "calculating self". To do so is free simple. Lighten up, live every day like it is your last and for once do something to be fulfilled rather than to fullfil somebody else's perception. 

Reference:

Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility: Transforming professional and personal life. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press