Tag: personal growth

How will you measure your life?

Balancing Achievement and Fulfillment:
Christensen’s work emphasizes the delicate balance between career achievement and personal fulfillment. He suggests that while professional accomplishments are measurable and visible, personal satisfaction is often less tangible but equally important. The key lies in defining what success truly means on a personal level and aligning it with one’s professional goals.

How will you measure your life?

Investing in Relationships:
One of the central tenets of Christensen’s book is the significance of investing in relationships. He argues that strong personal relationships are the most substantial source of long-term happiness. For executives, this might mean reevaluating priorities to ensure that relationships with family, friends, and community are nurtured alongside career aspirations.

The Danger of Marginal Thinking:
Christensen cautions against marginal thinking – making decisions based on short-term gains rather than long-term values. This approach can lead to compromises in both personal integrity and life goals. For leaders, maintaining a steadfast focus on core values and long-term objectives is crucial for true success.

The Motivation Factor:
Understanding what motivates us is another critical aspect. Christensen points out that motivation often comes from intrinsic rewards – the sense of satisfaction from the work itself – rather than extrinsic rewards like money or status. Leaders need to identify what intrinsically motivates them and their teams to foster a fulfilling work environment.

Creating a Personal Strategy:
The concept of developing a personal strategy is pivotal in Christensen’s philosophy. Just as businesses require strategic planning to thrive, individuals need personal strategies to achieve their life goals. This involves setting clear objectives, understanding the resources available, and regularly reviewing and adjusting these plans.


“How Will You Measure Your Life?” offers a reflective and strategic approach to life’s biggest decisions. For executives and leaders, Christensen’s insights provide a framework for aligning professional achievements with personal fulfillment. By focusing on what truly matters, leaders can navigate their lives with purpose and satisfaction, creating a legacy that transcends professional success. This book is not just a guide to living but a reminder of the values that define a truly successful life.

Why not me?

Why not me? Resilient

Life tosses us into the tumultuous seas of uncertainty and hardship without warning. Matthew McConaughey, during an uplifting speech at the University of Houston, imparted a powerful lesson that resonates with the tenacity of the human spirit: the refusal to be a victim to circumstance.

In his book, “Burn the Boats,” McConaughey recounts his own confrontation with fear upon a testicular cancer diagnosis. The natural inclination to question, “Why me?” stems from a place of perceived immunity—a notion that life’s harsh storms should batter some distant other, not oneself. Yet, it is in the crucible of such trials that McConaughey proposes a radical shift in perspective—transforming the victim’s lament of “Why me?” to a warrior’s cry of “Why not me?”

The real question isn’t who deserves to face the challenge, but who has the fortitude to weather it. “Why not me?” becomes a mantra of empowerment, a declaration that we are not only equipped to handle life’s adversities but perhaps even destined to meet them head-on. McConaughey’s realization that he had better resources to tackle his diagnosis highlights a broader truth: the challenges we face may indeed be the universe’s way of entrusting us with a unique purpose, a test designed for our individual strengths.

“Life is not about finding shelter in a storm but about dancing in the rain,” as the saying goes, encapsulating the essence of McConaughey’s message. And in another viral slice of wisdom, we’re reminded that “Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them.” The same is true for us; it’s not the external battles that define our fate, but the internal resolve to face them.

So, let us embrace each tribulation with the question, “Why not me?” and find within ourselves the capacity to navigate through the tempest. In doing so, we may just discover that the fiercest storms often lead to the brightest rainbows, and in the heart of adversity lies the seed of growth.

Do not focus too much on the outcome, instead reflect on the process

In a parallel world much like ours, there lived a man named Tobias. Tobias was not unlike many of us, laboring under the belief that his worth was measured in outcomes, achievements, and success. His life was a constant race, his mind perpetually spinning, from one goal to another, from one task to the next. He was forever chasing the horizon, never appreciating the journey.

In the same world, there also existed an ethereal being named Seren, the embodiment of wisdom and insight, who observed Tobias’s life with concern. Seren decided to guide Tobias, hoping to teach him the importance of the process over the outcome.

One day, as Tobias was engrossed in his work, he heard a whisper in his ear, “Tobias, why do you strive so relentlessly for the outcome?” Startled, he looked around and saw no one. But he had heard the question, and it lingered in his mind. “Because that’s what defines my success,” he finally answered the empty room.

Seren, invisible yet present, gently said, “Is success the ultimate destination, or is it the journey itself that matters?” Tobias was taken aback. He had never considered this perspective before.

Driven by curiosity, Tobias decided to explore this new perspective. He asked Seren to guide him on this journey of self-reflection, and Seren agreed. The following day, Tobias started his work as usual but with one significant change – he would focus on the process, not the outcome.

Over time, Tobias started noticing a shift in his perspective. He began to appreciate the beauty of the process, the joy of learning, the thrill of challenges, and the satisfaction of overcoming them. Each task became an opportunity to grow, not just another step towards an elusive goal.

Seren then introduced Tobias to the concept of “flow,” a state of complete immersion in an activity for its own sake. This concept, developed by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, suggests that the deepest sense of satisfaction and joy comes not from achieving a particular outcome but from the process of engagement with the task itself.

In his pursuit of flow, Tobias discovered that he was more creative, more productive, and, most importantly, happier. He learned that the journey was not a means to an end, but an end in itself.

However, Tobias also realized that focusing on the process did not mean ignoring the outcome entirely. It meant giving the journey its due importance, treating it with the same respect and enthusiasm that one would typically reserve for the destination.

This shift in perspective wasn’t always easy. There were times when Tobias felt the pull of his old habits, the allure of outcomes, the urgency of achievements. But with Seren’s guidance and his newfound insight, he would gently steer himself back to appreciating the journey.

As Tobias embarked on this new path, he found his relationships deepening, his stress levels decreasing, and his sense of fulfillment increasing. He was no longer just going through the motions of life; he was experiencing it, savoring it, living it.

In the end, Tobias realized that his worth wasn’t tied to outcomes. It was woven into the fabric of his journey, the steps he took, the challenges he faced, the growth he experienced, and the person he became.

This tale of Tobias and Seren is a metaphor for our own lives. We often focus on the outcomes, the destinations, the tangible achievements, while neglecting the process, the journey, the intangible growth. Psychology teaches us that our well-being, happiness, and fulfillment lie in the balance of both.

So, let us strive to be like Tobias. Let us appreciate the beauty of the process, the joy of the journey, and the growth that comes with it. For, in the end, it is not the destination that defines us, but the journey that shapes us.