January 13 At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. Lao Tzu A false path in life is generally something we are attracted to for the wrong reasons—money, fame, attention, and so on. If it is attention we need, we often experience […]

January 13 When you are faced with deficiencies instead of strengths and inclinations, this is the strategy you must assume: Ignore your weaknesses and resist the temptation to be more like others. Instead, direct yourself toward the small things you are good at. Do not dream or make grand plans for the future, but instead […]

January 12 Some people do not become aware of inclinations or future career paths in their childhood, but instead are made painfully aware of their limitations. They are not good at what others seem to find easy or manageable. The ideaof a calling in life is alien to them. In some cases, they internalize the […]

January 11 Sometimes an inclination becomes clear through a particular activity that brings with it a feeling of heightened power. As a child, Martha Graham felt intensely frustrated by her inability to make others understand her in a deep way; words seemed inadequate. Then one day, she saw her first dance performance. The lead dancer […]

January 10 The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Coco Chanel What do we say about masters? “They’re one of a kind.” There’s never been a Steve Jobs ever before. There’s never been a Warren Buffett. There’s never been an Albert Einstein. They’re unique. They embraced what made them different. Yes, it […]

January 9 As a young boy growing up in North Carolina, John Coltrane felt different and strange. He was much more serious than his schoolmates; he experienced emotional and spiritual longings he did not know how to verbalize. He drifted into music more as a hobby, taking up the saxophone and playing in his high […]

January 8 As a child growing up in Madras, India, in the late 1950s, V. S. Ramachandran knew he was different. In his loneliness he would often wander along the beach, and soon he became fascinated by the incredible variety of seashells that washed up on shore. He began to collect them and study the […]

January 7 For many people, the pursuit of money and status can supply them with plenty of motivation and focus. Such types would consider figuring out their calling in life a monumental waste of time and an antiquated notion. But in the long run this philosophy often yields the most impractical of results. We all […]

January 6 In dealing with your career and its inevitable changes, you must think in the following way: You are not tied to a particular position; your loyalty is not to a career or a company. You are committed to your Life’s Task, to givingit full expression. It is up to you to find it […]

January 5 The contemporary anthropologist-linguist Daniel Everett grew up on the California-Mexico border, in a cowboy town. From a very early age, he found himself drawn to the Mexican culture around him. Everything about it fascinated him—the sound of the words spoken by the migrant workers, the food, the manners that were so different from […]