“Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves for we shall never cease to be amused.”

“Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?” David Bade

“You may think that if there is no purpose or no goal in our practice, we will not know what to do. But, there is a way. The way to practice without having any goal is to limit your activity, or to be concentrated on what you are doing in this moment.”
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind Beginners Mind

In my work with corporate management teams, I’ve found that instituting a “no festering” rule can be a useful antidote to ward off false assumptions. When we have a problem with someone and we don’t talk to them about it honestly and respectfully, our fears and resentments often fill the silence with false assumptions that can make situations much worse than they really are.

I had a teacher in business school who was fierce, intimidating, and a sweetheart. Ian McMillan was a wiry South African with a quick wit and a quick temper. He taught a class entitled “Entrepreneurship.” Our weekly assignment was to find and describe a business opportunity that came from our own experience. We had to spot a need that could be met by forming a business.