Managing Oneself, Meaningful Life, What Defines You
Existential Espresso Vol. 54
What I’ve been reading:
Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
This was originally an essay written by Drucker for Harvard Business Review but has since been published as a book.
I’ll start by saying this: there is not a single unnecessary word written in "Managing Oneself. You can read it in one sitting. This is what all modern nonfiction best-sellers could look like if it weren’t for the exact same cookie-cutter template they follow for making the book five times longer than it should be. Seriously, does every chapter need to start with a 10-page story that will be used to prove a point that could’ve been articulated, along with the examples, on 3 pages? Sorry, I had to let this off of my chest.
Back to Managing Oneself. Up until relatively recently in human history, people had no reason to have a high degree of self-awareness. They were born into their social roles, which led to their professional roles. Almost everyone followed a carved-out path. At the time Drucker wrote Managing Oneself, that wasn’t the case anymore. An average person had incomparably more opportunities than their parents, let alone grandparents. Since then and up until today, opportunities have continued to grow exponentially. However, in this new world, you have to manage yourself. You have to carve out your own path. As the title suggests, this book aims to help you learn how to manage yourself. And I believe that if the information inside is applied and not just read, this book can make a significant change in your life.
What I’ve listened to:
James Hollis on The Sacred Speaks podcast
Ever since I started Existential Espresso, I’ve recommended multiple books and podcast appearances by James Hollis.
If you are interested in Jungian psychology, he is the number one thinker I recommend reading and listening to. For most people, he will be a better choice than Jung himself because of how easy he is to read. The amazing thing about Mr. Hollis is that he somehow managed to make his writing so accessible to the general population without sacrificing the depth of his message.
If you are not particularly interested in Jungian psychology but are concerned with living a meaningful life, James Hollis is once again one of my top recommendations.
He is, depending on your age, a father, uncle, or grandfather you wish you had.
This one, like all of his podcast appearances, is full of timeless wisdom.
What I’ve been thinking about:
What defines a person?
I’ve had the privilege of getting to know a lot of interesting people in my life.
Especially over the last 2 years, where I’ve met people from all over the world and from more different backgrounds than I could’ve imagined.
But there is one thing that connects all of them…
Both the most impressive individuals and those who, to say the least, have the most undesirable character traits share this in common:
What makes them great or small individuals is the result of how they responded to a painful life event in the past.
You can confirm this yourself.
Look at the people you admire and those you don’t want to be around.
If you know their backstories, you will see that, more often than not, what makes them special in either a positive or negative sense is a direct result of how they responded to and dealt with a personal crisis of some sort.
And no matter how tragic and devastating our circumstances are, we have the freedom to choose how we respond to them.
You can take this as an encouraging fact or as a painful one because it places the responsibility on you. Once again, your choice.
Thank you for reading.
Stay strong, love life, and never feel sorry for yourself.
Free Resources:
My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading
Paid Resources:
The Art of Showing Up: A Clear and Practical Method for Mastering Consistency
The Gold Pill: Timeless Ideas for a Life Worth Living
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Great ones for the week 🎙️