Innovation Insights
by Stephen Shapiro
I lived in London for 4 years. I found the British to be a bit more proper and reserved than the typical outgoing American. In an effort to explain the differences between these two cultures, I sometimes use my favorite
This past Friday I gave a Goal-Free Living speech in Chicago for a group of meeting planners. At one point, someone in the audience asked for my perspective on Covey’s goal-based time management concepts versus the Goal-Free Living compass-driven approach.
“How can someone be goal-free when they have obligations?” This is a great question and one of the most frequently asked in regards to leading a goal-free lifestyle. The essence of Goal-Free Living is about being present and having the
In past blog entries, I discussed my studies on money and its relationship to happiness. My conclusion: making more does not necessarily increase your level of happiness – but it can. If you want to plow through a 50 page
Last year, I attended a “Renaissance Weekend” (these are private retreats for the accomplished leaders, and not Renaissance Festivals). One of the people I met was Susan Silver. She is special. In addition to being a wonderful human being, she’s
One important concept of Goal-Free Living is being present; being focused on where you are now rather than worrying about the future. In the process of giving up control, greater – and unpredictable – things emerge. This often gives you
I recently went to a “skeptics” convention in Las Vegas. When I checked in, it looked like I was signing up for a Star Trek convention. There were some, well, interesting people. In total, there were 800 attendees discussing skepticism
Creativity is just having enough dots to connect… connect experiences and synthesize new things. The reason creative people are able to do that is that they’ve had more experiences or have thought more about their experiences than other people. Steve
I just appeared on Jim Blasingame’s “The Small Business Advocate” show where I mentioned two articles from this website. To make it easy for you to find, here are the links: Compass-Driven Strategic Planning and the Goalaholic Quiz.
While researching the goal-free concept, I was introduced to Dr. Doug Gardner, the former sports psychology consultant to the Boston Red Sox. What sets Doug apart from the rest in the sports field is his belief that a myopic focus
After giving a Goal-Free Living speech at an event last June, I met Jeremy Neuner, a funny, creative, and intelligent 33 year old guy. He recently wrote me, asking me to be on his personal “board of directors.” Why? Well,
Many years back, my friend Susanne and I played a trivia game. She was pretty good with the trivia. However, at one point, she got a couple of wrong answers in a row. “Urgh,” she blurted out, “every time I
To everyone who shared their New Year’s Theme, thank you. Now it is time to reveal my theme. As you may recall, my theme last year was “impact” – making a difference in the world. This year, my theme is:
Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you’re only looking for one of them. When you
I have a confession. I have psychic powers. Don’t believe me? Let me prove it with a little experiment. Get out a blank sheet of paper. On it, list a series of random “X”s and “O”s so that it looks
In the December 26, 2006 issue of Woman’s World magazine, you will find my “success styles” quiz. If you missed it, here is a revised and expanded version. Each of us has an innate approach to how we get what
Instead of working back from a goal, work forward from promising situations. This is what most successful people actually do anyway. In the graduation-speech approach, you decide where you want to be in twenty years, and then ask: what should
The winter solstice is upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere (the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere). And this is the perfect time to start reflecting back on 2006 and thinking about 2007. Last year I posted an article
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a GPS device on BestBuy.com. The item was on sale: $200 off the regular price. Instead of having the item shipped to my house, I chose to pick it up at the local
“Treating a startup idea as a question changes what you’re looking for. If an idea is a blueprint, it has to be right. But if it’s a question, it can be wrong, so long as it’s wrong in a way
Michael Gelb, an endorser of Goal-Free Living, has a wonderful perspective on organizational effectiveness. In many of the organizations I work with, people tell me that they’re afraid to be playful for fear of being dismissed as not serious. They
“In American culture, we are expected to be decisive about the direction of our careers and it is generally unacceptable to be unsure about what we want to do with our lives. The importance we place on being “decided” in
“If you can’t solve a problem, it’s because you’re playing by the rules.” – Paul Arden “High creativity is responding to situations without critical thought…If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.” – John Cleese (the comedian
This was sent to me by a reader in Australia. Job Myth: Setting career goals and sticking to them is the best way of having a successful career. Dr Jim Bright: “The evidence in favor of goal setting is not
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