Do it anyway

In a poem called "Do It Anyway", Mother Teresa said:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, some could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

If you live by the words of this poem, your life may not be easy but it will be better.

New Perspectives = New Value

--Charles

Rene Descartes and Learning for the Future

"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems."
- Rene Descartes (1596-1650), "Discours de la Methode"

Ok, I promise this is the last time I'll use this quote... today. But I hope you agree that it's had a lot to say. This time I want to focus on what I believe is the real power of this statement.

Where most people see problems as...problems, Descartes sees problems as opportunities to learn in order to solve future problems. Taking a future perspective when solving every day problems allows you to create value that doesn't exist when you're just "putting out fires."

It's actually very difficult (a problem in itself) to create value without having problems to solve. So the next time you're confronted with an irate client, a prospect who just keeps putting you off or a supplier who forgot to deliver your order, just smile knowing you've been given a great opportunity to improve your organization and yourself.

Be Wise,

--Charles

Using Design to Crack Society’s Problems

I recently read an extremely intriguing article in Fast Company magazine about the power of "design thinking." A company in the UK called "Participle" is addressing social issues using a design approach... and it seems to be working. Awesome. The key is not that you have to be a designer, but if you learn to think like a designer it gives you a new perspective on how to address the challenges you may face in business, in society... in life.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/130/mission-critical.html

Enjoy!

--Charles