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The Measure of Life

 1/23/21

    In a Harvard Business Review Clayton M. Christensen said, "Management is the most noble of professions if it’s practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team." He was talking about the first of his three life questions. "How can I be sure that I’ll be happy in my career?" To be happy in your career, good management needs to be involved whether you are in that role or not. If you are not appreciated and encouraged in your position you should look for another because that will make for a miserable career. Being unhappy in your career can and most likely will trinkle into the rest of your life. 

    Christensen's next question is, "How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness?" He later goes on to say you can do so by keeping the purpose of your live front and center as you decided how to spend your time, talents, and energy. Having a clear purpose is an important part of living a fulfilled life. In the book I recently read Personality Isn't Permanent by Benjamin Hardy, PHD he talks about knowing who you want to become and working toward being that person, that many people don’t spend enough time thinking about how they want their life to be. I think that both Christensen and Hardy are talking about the same thing. We need to spend thinking about our purpose and what we want to accomplish, or we will never accomplish anything. If we don’t have clear goals and ideas about how we spend our time, then we are essentially wasting it. And it is important to realize the fact that Christensen states “The choice and successful pursuit of a profession is but one tool for achieving your purpose. But without a purpose, life can become hollow.”

 

            The third question Christensen asks is “How can I stay out of jail?” It seems a silly question, but it is really about having morals and sticking to them 100% of the time. If we decide to let our morals slide “just once” it can have far worse consequences and lead us to slipping more. Christensen reminds us of the importance of humility and describes one of the characteristics as having “a high level of self-esteem. They knew who they were, and they felt good about who they were. We also decided that humility was defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes but by the esteem with which you regard others. Good behavior flows naturally from that kind of humility…if your attitude is that only smarter people have something to teach you, your learning opportunities will be very limited. But if you have a humble eagerness to learn something from everybody, your learning opportunities will be unlimited. Generally, you can be humble only if you feel really good about yourself—and you want to help those around you feel really good about themselves, too.”

 

            Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in his address Little Things Are Important speaking about how important the little things are stated, “to manage the minute is the secret of success.” He goes on to talk about the importance of our relationship with ourselves and the care we give our bodies. If we do not care for ourselves we will be unable to care for others. Elder Wirthlin also talks about the little thing in our relationships with others, “Do you take the time to remember some of the simple courtesies that are so important in relationships with others? Do you remember the smile, the compliment, the positive comment, and the word of encouragement? We should do these important little things without hesitation.” Lastly he describes our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Quoting Alma “But behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).


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