In
This Issue: June 14, 2007
Warm wishes,
Michael Bungay Stanier
Principal, Box of Crayons
PS - Know anyone who's thinking about what
will linger on? Please forward Outside
the Lines to anyone you think might be interested.
How do you want to
be remembered?
Yesterday I explored the Topkapi
Palace in Istanbul, the 15th Century home of the
Ottoman sultans.
Amongst the stunning architecture and tiles,
jewellery and armour there was one part of
the complex dedicated to showing the vast
collection of Ming
Dynasty porcelain.
I couldn't help reflect on how hundreds
of years ago an anonymous Chinese potter
had created this beautiful plate with its
beautiful patterns of blue on white...
Which had travelled across land and seas
to end up in Istanbul...
Where it humbly hosted the various dishes
of the Sultan...
And where it provided inspiration for the
Iznik potters, makers of the famous tiles
that now adorn palaces and mosques...
And where it continues to provide inspiration
for artists, tourists and Turks who visit
the Palace.
Vanished
Later in the day, outside the Palace, I
came across a small stub of stone by a tram
stop. On it was a sign that had this poignant
declaration:
"this stone pillar is all that remains
of a Byzantine triumphal arch from which
road distances to all corners of the
empire were once measured."
The arch, like the empire, had vanished.
The porcelain bowl had survived.
Will I matter?
What I took from this is not so much that
the fragile survives and the seemingly immortal
has vanished.
Rather, it strikes me how random and how
unlikely it is that there will be any lasting
legacy of who we are and what we do.
In The
Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun I
ask "in a hundred years, will it matter?" I
might as well ask, "in a hundred years,
will I matter?"
The answer? Probably not.
Feeling a little down?
It would certainly be easy to sigh and shrug
and ask "why bother?"
For me though, that answer is liberating.
It points to the paradox of our existence:
both overwhelmingly meaningful and overwhelmingly
insignificant.
It is also freeing. It means we can do the
work that matters and that inspires us without
the burden of it being perfect, or timeless
or "right".
In fact two thinkers that I've spoken to
recently - David
Allen and Michael
Neill have
both mentioned that part of their success
has come from the lightness of their plans,
a willingness not to take it too seriously
AND to strive for Great Work.
And so, feeling liberated and inspired while
I look out today at the morning bustle of
Istanbul life, here is....
My manifesto of insignificance
Knowing that my death is certain and my
time of death is uncertain
Knowing that the work I do matters and also
will not last
I'll strive to do Great Work
I won't take things too seriously
I'll strive to create things of beauty
I'll enjoy today.
I'll love the people in my life
What would you add to this manifesto? Email
and let me know
michael@boxofcrayons.biz
PS - You can see a previous article I
wrote about Great Work
Don't take my word for it
Smart folks thinking out loud about what
lasts and what doesn't:
"I don't want to achieve immortality
through my work... I want to achieve it through
not dying."
- Woody Allen, American film director
"Our current obsession with creativity
is the result of our continued striving for
immortality in an era when most people no
longer believe in an after-life."
- Arianna Stassinopoulos, Greek writer
"Do you believe in immortality? No,
and one life is enough for me."
- Albert Einstein, German physicist
"I met a traveller from an antique
land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs
of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose
frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions
read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless
things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that
fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet
"Cheese-milk's leap toward immortality"
- Clifton Fadiman, American writer
Want to learn more? Here are some useful
resources
An Imaginary Life, David Malouf. An imagined
account of the exile of Ovid to the far edge
of the Roman empire. A meditation on language
and silence, permanence and impermanence,
and the importance of love.
Is Your Genius at
Work, Dick Richards. The
best book I've found to help uncover your
genius - and then put it to work. Full of
useful exercises.
The Dip, Seth Godin. Seth's latest is short
and sweet. It talks about the push to be
the best... and how success depends on "managing
the dip."
In Ruins, Christopher Woodward. A mixture of history,
poetry and philosophy about ruins.
Market Place Product
of the Month
If you're a coach, consultant or trainer
- and especially if you run your own business
- then you know there's an overwhelming amount
of "stuff" out there be marketed
to you.
Over the last number of years I've been
exposed to hundred of different books, products
and services geared to help support coaches
be successful - and I'm sceptical of much
of it.
There are some gems out there, whether you're
looking for:
- Ways to promote, market and sell
your product, service or self in a
way that doesn't feel manipulative or sleazy
- Products to add to your portfolio that
are of the highest quality
- Systems to help
run your business in an efficient way
I've now collected the ones I like in a
single place - my "Michael Recommends" page.
You can see what I think is excellent here.
Got It Going On: Michael's
Speaking Gigs
I'm currently finalizing my schedule for
speaking in organizations and at conferences
in the second half of the year and I'm looking
for some great places to come and speak.
Could I be of service to your organization?
If you know someone who's responsible for
booking speakers or organizing conferences,
please send
them my information.
In the next couple of months...
I'm taking a break for my public schedule
- things will start up again in September.
You can always see
what's going on.
About Michael
Michael Bungay Stanier is the guy behind
The
Possibility Virus, an organization that
provides products and services so people
can have lives of fun, inspiration and action.
To learn more about his corporate offerings,
see BoxOfCrayons.biz
You can find out more by contacting Michael
directly at Michael@boxofcrayons.biz or
+1 (416) 532-1322.
Subscribe - To subscribe to Outside
the Lines click
here or go to PossibilityVirus.com.
Reprint - I'd be delighted if you should
wish to reprint (for free) any part of Outside
the Lines in your newsletters, websites,
and message boards. Simply include the following
attribution:
Michael Bungay Stanier is a professional
keynote speaker, the author of the best
selling coaching tool, Get
Unstuck & Get
Going ...on the stuff that matters and
the creator of Eight
Irresistible Principles of Fun.
A certified coach and Rhodes Scholar, he
works with teams and organizations to help
them do less Good Work and more Great Work.
Schedule - Outside the Lines is distributed
on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.
Your contact information is never traded,
never rented, never sold.
I send out an extra email one to three times
a month detailing programs and offers.
©Box of Crayons 2007. Box of Crayons
is a registered trading name of Maida CC
Inc.
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