This is the secret of all people who live creatively: it allows them to maintain inner balance and makes their life perfect and fulfilling.

We introduce listeners to people who have identified their highest goal. Among them are architects and artists, public figures and war heroes, academics, singers, composers and dancers, entrepreneurs and engineers, scientists, financiers, psychologists, politicians and monks. All of them achieved unprecedented success in their fields, made a name for themselves and made a fortune. Some founded new businesses or had enormous influence on the development of American and world culture. Others have radically changed the way we work and are constantly in touch with our course participants.

At meetings within the “Personal Creativity in Business” course, they willingly talk about what helped them reach the top, describe the creative process and their experiences; talk about their work and what they see as the purpose of their existence.

Despite the crisis or vicissitudes of love, they feel connected to something higher and realized - early in life or later - that this connection brings them closer to what they need. They are open to life and see it as an adventure. They are not stopped by media warnings, reports of the approaching end of the world, responsibilities to family or friends, or even their own mental problems.

They look at every life situation and their potential role in it from a higher position. There's no rush. Concentrate all your attention. And new opportunities open up for them. They depend on a kind of grace descending upon them - on the creative energy from this source.

This is the secret our book reveals: a higher goal is always waiting for you, beyond traditional definitions of success.

A fundamentally new model of success

When my Stanford colleagues and I developed the creative arts course, we viewed it as a complement to other business courses. If our students could unleash their creativity, we believed it would help them use the analytical knowledge gained from studying other disciplines.

But gradually it became clear to us that all business courses actually promote a lifestyle expressed by the unspoken assumption that financial success and its attendant benefits are the main goal of every person. The premise of our course was significantly different: we wanted students to understand their inner wisdom and power, their connection to all things on earth - a completely different kind of success. Without realizing it, we were offering not so much a methodological program and new ways of doing business, but a different perception of life.

Students who have unlocked their inner potential and identified a purpose for their existence have discovered that they can make a difference in the world. Graduates later told us how they built their lives based on this premise, how they went to achieve their goals using the knowledge gained through our course. Here are some examples.

Denise Brosseau has built a career based on the insights she made about herself during her studies. She realized that she was essentially a mediator. Co-founding the Foundation for Women Entrepreneurs (FWF) shortly after graduating from Stanford in 1993, she changed the game by helping women entrepreneurs raise funds and build business networks. Thus, just one FWF conference brought $185 million in investments to 26 new enterprises created by women.

Jeff Skoll, who took the course in 1995, believes that it was there that he learned to see his inner world. He amassed an impressive fortune on eBay, becoming one of the five richest people in the United States under the age of 40. He then founded the Skoll Foundation with the “goal of providing investment, networking and recognition to entrepreneurs.”

Dominic Holder, dean of the Sloan program at London Business School, has excelled in more than just business. He is also known as a teacher of Buddhism. In one of his latest books, Mindfulness and Money: The Buddhist Path of Abundance, he says that the course “opened the eyes of many students to spirituality in business.”

Michael Ray

Highest goal. The secret that keeps you going every minute

THE HIGHEST GOAL

The Secret That Sustains You in Every Moment

Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Published by permission of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

© Michael Ray, 2004

© Translation into Russian, publication in Russian, design. Mann, Ivanov and Ferber LLC, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Legal support for the publishing house is provided by the Vegas-Lex law firm.

© The electronic version of the book was prepared by liters company (www.litres.ru)* * *

To my students and teachers:

May the flow of goodness never dry up

The real joy of life is to have a purpose, the importance of which you yourself understand... to be natural and strong, and not one of a bunch of neurasthenics and whiners complaining that life does not care about their happiness.

Bernard Show

Joy is the highest goal.

Chinese proverb

Preface

On a warm September evening in 1982, I was studying my class schedule for my second year of my MBA at Stanford. In addition to manufacturing strategy and corporate finance, there was a course called “Creativity in Business.” “This is an oxymoron,” flashed through my head. I added this course at the very end to somehow balance out the too dry analytical subjects.

And so at 15:20 I leisurely entered the classroom and sat down in an empty seat. While waiting for teachers Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers to begin the seminar, my classmates and I chatted with each other, talked about our summer work, and exchanged opinions about the class schedule.

Nothing happened and we chatted some more. Still, the seminar did not begin.

Eventually we realized that Michael and Rochelle were already in the audience, looking at us and waiting for something. The noise gradually died down as each group of chattering students, one after the other, found teachers patiently waiting for us to pay attention to them. Finally, Rochelle Myers, a petite woman in long flowing robes with a large silver medallion on her chest, stood up and said in a barely audible, almost whisper: “Today you are embarking on a ten-week journey in search of your inner essence.”

I immediately opened the general schedule to find a replacement course. My search was interrupted by Michael Ray, who offered us a meditation exercise. “Take a deep breath slowly,” Michael said. – Feel the energy arising in the toes of your right foot. Feel it move up your leg. Focus all your attention on your right leg. Don’t do anything, just feel your right leg...” It seemed to me that I had made a big mistake.

That evening I told my wife Joanna that my class schedule was great, “except for this course I’m going to drop.” I told her about Rochelle in flowing robes and about Michael, who reminded me of Yogi Bear in a rumpled professorial suit (later I learned that he, as a spiritual mentor, actually practices yoga) teaching us how to meditate. I majored in applied mathematics in college and later worked at McKinsey. I enjoyed (as I still do) doing data analysis and theoretical development. And here it is...

Michael Ray is the John J. McCoy Professor of Creative and Innovation at Banc One Corporation and Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School of Marketing, Stanford University.

He studied social psychology, and wrote several books, including Creativity in Business, written with Rochelle Myers, Lorna Catford participated in the work on The Everyday Hero's Journey, and as for The Spirit of Creativity, Ray wrote it along with authors such as Daniel Goleman and Paul Kaufman. The information presented in the book was used as a guide for a series of programs with the same name, which was created based on this course.

Highest goal. The secret that keeps you going every minute. Michael Ray. Read online, download e-book fb2, txt, epub

Currently, Michael Ray, along with colleagues teaching his course, is working on the creation of the book “Conversations on the Basics.” The author is a supporter of setting high goals, both in business and in matters relating to family and loved ones. As a husband, father of six children and eight grandchildren, he continues to amaze by the fact that he continues to be a spiritual explorer and meditation teacher who has followed his path for more than twenty years. Michael Ray is a consultant and speaker who runs a major shopping mall, a manufacturing products company, a catalog distribution organization, a start-up airline company, and three emerging communications companies. He conducts 2 singing and meditation classes, usually every week. They take place in Santa Cruz, California. There, under the strict leadership of Michael’s wife, Sarah, two houses were built, according to her own design, where all events take place. In addition, Mr. Ray is the curator of a group of specialists, which he and his team prepared to work on the creativity course. Thus, they strive to convey the principles revealed by the author of the book to more people around the world.

In the book “The Highest Goal. The secret that supports you every minute" reveals the basic principles of how to achieve an understanding of the highest goal in life and find your own.

FastCompany magazine awarded Michael Ray the title of Most Creative Person, as he is the developer and presenter of the well-known course “Creativity in Business” for 25 years.

Even at the initial stage, students respond positively to this course. They say that, through the information received, Michael gives them access to one of the sources of energy, which is still a secret to most people, as well as inspiration. He, in turn, concluded that the trainings help students find a certain “higher goal,” which is a force that gives meaning to life.

"This may be the most important book you will ever read"

One of Michael Ray's students

You achieve something, conquer certain peaks, looking back with a sense of pride. Victory screams with happiness under your feet. This is the dream, the goal of your whole life. Now you can die in peace. But how long will this last? Perhaps tomorrow you will think “That was such a small thing” or “Why did I do that.” What's the catch? Why do dreams turn into shameful mistakes, and ideals into cartoons? Perhaps it was an ordinary desire, in its prosaic nature too reminiscent of some kind of mediocrity? This was not at all the highest goal of your life. Forget about her forever. Find your highest goal, define it. Understand what is worth living for, for what every moment lasts. The answer to questions in the search for the main purpose of your life is given by the outstanding scientific psychologist and author of several bestsellers - Michael Ray. His book is called “The Highest Purpose. The secret that keeps you going every minute."

About the book “The Highest Goal. The secret that supports you every minute"

It talks about how to find that elusive, sometimes illusory, highest goal, the mission of your whole life. The author, named by Fast Company magazine as one of the most creative people on earth, will have a very profound effect on you. He will help you find your highest goal, find that secret source of inspiration through which you will find the answers to all the important questions. In the book you will find effective exercises, stories and simple life advice from Michael Ray. The latter will boldly lead you along the path to the highest goal.

What do you need to take with you on this path? Author of the book “The Highest Goal. The Secret That Supports You Every Moment” gives some essential pointers. First, you must choose your path in life. There are two options here. You can listen to those around you and begin to draw your dream. The result will be a nice, but completely ordinary picture. Or you will choose the second path. What does he look like? In the following way: you set up a completely blank canvas, pick up a brush and paint a picture that reflects yourself. It may not appeal to everyone, but its creator will be absolutely delighted. This picture is your highest goal. Second, understand the role of anxiety in life.

Try to spend half an hour every day worrying. Worry, worry. The reasons are found on their own, because there are no absolutely careless people. The rest of the time, try not to let experiences into your own consciousness and you will see how real life without worries is. Thirdly, give your head a rest, meditate.

Throw absolutely all thoughts out of your head, don’t think about anything. This practice will help you find your own harmony and understanding of what is happening around you. In addition, learn to live according to your own time, which no one understands. Sounds weird? Try it! Forget about time for one day, don’t look at the clock. Listen to your clock, try to live and work in a way that suits you in the time continuum. Of course, it will seem difficult, especially while in the workplace, but believe me, you will learn a lot. Take action, achieve your highest goals and read Michael Ray's masterpiece book. You will definitely find out what it is - the highest goal, dream and achievement of your whole life.

The author of the book “The Highest Goal” writes easily and clearly. He gives extremely clear instructions, exercises and practices. This is a kind of manual, or more precisely, something higher than it. After all, the theories indicated to you are not axioms. Find your way, your unique method, your path. The reader will want to learn more and more, to look for missing pages. This is what the book is aimed at - your searches, research and goals.

Michael Ray, whose magazine Fast Company named the most creative person in Silicon Valley. Ray developed and taught the famous Creativity in Business course at Stanford for 25 years, in which he helped students find their “highest purpose”—“the power that gives real meaning to life, that speaks to your deepest being.” The author, through practical exercises, stories and advice, tries to help the reader find his highest goal in life. With the consent of the publisher, we publish an excerpt from the book, which explains what the highest goal is and how to seek it.

So what is the highest goal? How to realize it and how it can change your life?

Many philosophies say that in the soul of each of us lies a potential comparable to the potential of the Universe. In one teaching, saints and sages speak of a tiny, sparkling pearl of light in the soul. And when they look at this pearl, it fills their bodies with light or explodes, releasing the Universe.

Oriental nonsense? May be. But remember, when Western science studied “nonsense” of this kind, it was discovered that the energy of many nuclear reactions is present even in a cubic centimeter of empty space - if only one knew how to use it.

The highest goal is simply to be in relationship with the world or to strive for truth (whatever you call it) constantly. Truth remains a goal because throughout your life you strive for it, but do not achieve it. Your commitment to purpose stimulates, inspires and guides your journey. If you live for a higher purpose, then your life is a life of the spirit, regardless of whether you consider your path to be spiritual or not.

If you consciously adhere to certain criteria, pay attention to whether your activities correspond to them, never forget the inspiration that comes from awareness of a higher purpose, rely on these memories in all situations and be sure that you will always receive heavenly support in your journey - it means you are striving for a higher goal.

One spiritual teacher said: “On globe there is almost infinite variety. However, when it comes to the treasures of the soul, the differences disappear. In the place of the heart, only one light shines. This light is the same for everyone. To reveal the truth, to constantly feel this light - this is the goal of the spiritual search.”

Our spiritual search takes a lot various forms, however, all paths lead to a higher goal. The great choreographer Twyla Tharp meant exactly this when she said, “I work for God.”

Bob Landuser, a high school football coach who led his team to more than 140 straight wins (possibly the longest winning streak in sports at any level), put it another way: “If there's no soul in the team, you're just wasting your time.” time is wasted." Every week he tries to get his players to strengthen their bonds of community and openly talk about the love they have for each other.

“This is his main goal every season,” writes Fast company magazine in an article about Landuser’s approach to the game. “His winning streak captivates the entire country, but it turns out that continuing it means less to him than getting 45 guys to say the N word out loud.” l"

What does that matter to you?

Stories of people achieving their goals and overcoming challenges can be inspiring, but until you truly understand your connection to a higher purpose, it will be difficult to accept it and make it a part of your life. So take a couple of minutes right now and think if you can remember a time when you felt resonance with a higher purpose. Concentrate on one of these situations, no matter how long ago or recent it was.

The situation may be simple, even ordinary. Perhaps you realized a higher purpose when you looked into the eyes of a baby (especially if it is your child), or hit the perfect golf or tennis shot, or simply said something true and important to a friend. Or you received an extraordinary charge of energy and peace when you twirled in a dance, admired the sunset, when your soul sang with love, or when you felt like you merged with the water while swimming.

You connect with your highest purpose when you wake up excited and know that you are doing something important and necessary. This is the same as being in the flow: this is the name for the moments when a person is so absorbed in his work that time stops for him and life becomes full of meaning. This is how your life turns into a work of art. In other words, this happens when your work is not just an opportunity for you to make good money, but also a source of happiness when you are willing to pay to do what you do.

We experience similar feelings when we fall in love for the first time. Problems at work don't seem so big anymore. You will easily cope with them and will be able to cooperate with those whom you previously considered enemies. You can already see their good qualities under the rough outer mask. Are you in Love. Everything looks and feels different. That is how it is!

This type of resonance is called catalytic. Like a chemical catalyst that causes reactions without losing its mass, it is incredibly productive. Once you realize that this has happened more than once in your life, you will understand how great its impact is.

You know that you live in a world where you can expect a gift from heaven. As soon as you see such an opportunity, take action to get closer to your highest goal and do everything to achieve it.

The most important

Have you imagined the situation? You may find it difficult to describe your feelings in words. Resonance with a higher purpose has an all-consuming power that scientists talk about, that sages identify with a shining pearl, and that you know through your own experience. But is it possible to talk about its unusualness?

You can start looking for connections by using a few questions to help you better understand the meaning. Try this exercise a few times and you may get into the habit of recognizing your inner greatness and enjoying different aspects of yourself.

You can take notes while doing this exercise if you feel comfortable, but this is not necessary; do it in your head if you don’t feel like writing anything down.

Think back to the most important thing you did in the last week or a little earlier. This may be something similar to the situation you imagined earlier, or not, the main thing is that it happened recently. Try to take a fresh look at your actions. See the situation not with your eyes, but with your mind, feel what makes this work so important. (Note that I'm not asking you to remember some incredible event or achievement, just your most important thing you did in the last week.)

And answer this question: “Why is this so important, so significant for me?” Then answer another question: “Why (based on the answer to the first question) is this so important to me?” and continue asking “Why is this so important?” until the answer is one word.

This word, if you dig deeper than possible negative (for example, fear) or external reasons (for example, money) of any activity, represents one of the facets of your personality, your “I”. whatever the word is - “love”, “communication”, “wisdom”, “energy”, “calmness”, “fun”, “creativity”, “service”, “silence”, “interaction”, “peace” , “pleasure” or something else that excites you - remember it: this is a characteristic feature of the person you really are. Remember her. Enjoy it. Think it over. Consider it as the main thing in your life. Notice how this state arises when you encounter a new situation.

When I ask a group of people to do an exercise to determine what is most important, I first ask everyone to say the words they have found out loud at the same time. Then we give everyone the opportunity to say their word obtained during the exercise. These words reflect the deep properties of our true self. They are all part of ourselves, although they have different meaning for each.

If you consider the words that come up when doing this exercise, you can understand that this is how the deep essence of your life is manifested. For example, one man who did this exercise talked about how he visited and cared for his sick father. In the beginning, fear was the main driving force. He was afraid that if he did not look after his father, he would not be a good son. Then, having worked through the exercise to the end, he realized that interaction, creativity, pleasure, love and, finally, peace were the main content of his care for his father.

Responsibility and fear drove him to action, but the action itself took on meaning because of the deep traits that were part of his inner self. And peace was his highest goal. He continued to work towards realizing this goal during each visit to his father until he came to real peace. From now on he shared this feeling with his father. And although there were some rough edges in their relationship, the common feeling created an empathy that made their last days together perfect, filled with a sense of achieving a higher goal.

What is your highest goal?

The exercise of identifying what is most important can be used to discover your highest goal. Review the most important thing you did and examine the process you used to define the single word. Consider this word as a quality that represents the core of your self. Think about how this quality has manifested itself in your life. How often it arose when realizing a higher goal. Remember the crises and turning points in your life - how this quality manifested itself in those situations. Feel what your life becomes when you live by this characteristic.

Remember the feeling of resonance with the world around you. Although people express it different ways- they talk about connection with God, about merging with the absolute, about harmony with the Tao, enlightenment, doing godly work, about the flow of love and compassion, about building your life in accordance with the characteristics of your own “I” - they all talk about the same thing same. The highest goal is to feel this resonance constantly, day after day.

Now I ask you to state the highest goal in your own words, which may have nothing to do with the examples I have given.

Are you ready to define your highest purpose? Remember, you will be examining your definition of your highest purpose both in this book and in life. Now just look at what happens.

Please complete the following sentence:

The highest goal for me is...

Usually, when discussing this point, there is nervous laughter and jokes, because when it comes to talking about the great purpose of one's life, people feel a certain awkwardness.

However, these conversations usually provide a better perspective on your higher purpose. For example, Steve Piersanti, founder and chairman of Berrett-Koehler Publishing, initially believed that his highest purpose was identical to his personal and business purpose: “Create a world that works for everyone.” But when I completed an exercise to determine what was most important, I came to the conclusion that the key word was “family.”

He realized that the best moments in his life were those when he felt that everyone around him was part of the same family. A higher purpose supported him both when he created and developed a business in accordance with his plans and when he faced difficulties in his life. I believe Steve's highest goal was to build a community of diverse, creative, compassionate people - his publishing team, which makes his vision possible.

John Renesh, an entrepreneur and author of several books (such as How to Achieve a Better Future), publisher, keynote speaker and founder of Fortress Dialogues, as well as a social commentator and philosopher, felt quite clearly that his calling was to help people negotiate about changes in the working paradigm (so that work is a joy).

He says this has always been his goal, even before he knew it, back in the days when he went into business without thinking about anything. But when he completed the exercise of determining what was most important, only one word remained: “faith.” And he realized that his faith in God helped him both in business and in his personal life in the most difficult times, and supported his calling. When he felt this, he realized that the highest goal had always been the basis of his life and work.

I've done the exercise of what's most important dozens of times, and the word I end up with is always some version of community ("communication," "message," "compassion," or "community"). What I do helps people use their inner resources to create the world we all need - a world in which people can live with their hearts, a world built on truth and love. However, the highest purpose, the basis of this calling, is community - that feeling of unity with the world that I experience when I live in accordance with my highest purpose. This helps me view problems not as failures, but as opportunities.

Use these discoveries on your journey

And what about you? Do you already see the highest purpose of your life? As we ponder this question, it might be worth jotting down a couple of thoughts. Take notes constantly - this helps the process of realizing the goal. As you read this book, put the ideas it offers into practice to help you formalize your own search for a higher purpose. Let the definition of your highest goal that you gave earlier become the basis of your life, the beginning of your journey to achieve it.

Know that this is a lifelong journey and only a few of us reach the ultimate goal in full. However, striving for a higher purpose brightens our daily lives, brings out the best in us during testing times, and brings harmony to every moment of our lives.

If you decide to live with a higher purpose, there are a few secrets that will help you along the way. I made these discoveries while working at Stanford. Put them into practice and you will make progress every day. Accept them all and your life will change for the better forever.

1. Look beyond passion and success

Living with a higher purpose is fundamentally different from what is commonly considered success: achieving financial success and passionate service to your cause. Most of us are content with the short-term and transient. Do not stop there in order to make the most of the gift of life given to you.

2. Follow your path

You can chart your path by paying attention to your own accomplishments—those times in your life when you feel most fully in tune with your highest purpose. Remember the sensations that you experienced in these cases, try to evoke them in your soul in other situations and continue to work your way to the highest goal.

3. Live with a higher purpose

Since the world is an interconnected system, you cannot destroy it, you can only become part of it. And the best help for you in this are the rules that will guide you in your life. They are very simple, these rules for every day: “Be careful”, “Ask stupid questions”, “Listen to your heart” or “Be ordinary”, but if you do not use them, then the content of this book will remain just content. Take them on your trip - you won't regret it.

4. Find well-being

The more you feel about your qualities, the stronger your sense of self-worth and the richer you become in the true sense of the word. Find what your true well-being is that will sustain you through the ups and downs and grow even in difficult times.

5. Turn fears into breakthroughs

When you have a foundation of higher purpose, you are able to understand the nature of your fears. Study them and turn them into breakthroughs, they can be the beginning of development.

6. Listen to your heart

I define compassion as seeing something higher in oneself first and then in others. If you are full of self-esteem, then you have already taken the first step towards gaining compassion. See others from this perspective and your relationships with people will begin to change for the better, and connections will be created that will help you move towards your highest goal.

7. Feel the synergy in every moment

You can achieve synergy—a state far more dynamic than equilibrium—in many different areas of your life by developing organizational structures built to achieve your highest purpose and using intuition to guide your decision-making.

8. Become a productive leader

Productive leaders convey their sense of higher purpose to others and encourage creativity. Share with others the discoveries you have made in your search for a higher purpose and spread their effect in a fruitful spiral.

Later in the book we will look at each of these points in detail. In a sense, once you identify your highest purpose and take these discoveries to heart, you will understand everything in this book. But the knowledge you gain will not give you anything if you do not live with a higher purpose and take these discoveries into account. Take full advantage of them, and you will move from knowledge to wisdom that will support you in your journey through life.