Purpose

How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn- for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people - first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving - Albert Einstein, http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/03/19/einstein-on-kindness/

He thought his walking costs were prohibitive. He was on the fast track for promotion, working in marketing and strategic planning. The money was starting to roll in, but he wasn’t happy. His drinking problem worsened and he was becoming an alcoholic. He was sick of the lifestyle. He hated the prospect that this was what he was going to do the rest of his life. After one particularly restless night, his wife asked him what was wrong. He told her he felt unbalanced and hated his work. "Quit," she suggested. He countered that he couldn’t quit. How about the car, the house - how would they pay for their things? His wife told him they could sell the house and the car. She had a job- they weren’t going to starve if he quit. Until that moment, he never realised quitting was an option. The walking costs he perceived were illusory. He vowed to keep his walking costs low in the future. He is now a venture philanthropist- his job is to create new ways to provide resources for the public good. Now, he sees life as a series of adventures and approaches it with an intensity of purpose. He began working to align his not-for-profit values with a for-profit paycheck. Very carefully, little by little, he brought his values to work. He recognised when to push and when to step back. He patiently focused on one issue at a time. He worked to ensure that his concerns matched the best interests of the company. He found a way to make his values work for his employer - Fast Co

Do not go where the path may lead- go instead where there is no path and leave a trail - Ralph Waldo Emerson

At the centre of your being you have the answer- you know who you are and you know what you want - Lao Tzu (600-531)

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star - Nietszche

You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand -Woodrow Wilson

You are going to let fear of poverty govern your life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live -Shaw

What could be worse than getting to the end of your life and realising you hadn't lived it - Edward Albee

We're not so much looking for something new as looking to re-engage in a new way with something very old - http://www.dark-mountain.net/feed/

We think in generalities, but we live in detail - Alfred North Whitehead