Si vous n'êtes pas à l'aise avec l'anglais, utilisez ceci :
Cet outil vous fournit une traduction automatisée en français.
Getting To Good Your Spontaneous Woo Quotient
Getting To Good: Your Spontaneous Woo Quotient
Word Count:
1288
Summary:
As I was driving to a friend's house, I passed the Dublin Pub, a local watering hole known for its live music. On the reader board, one band's name caught my eye: Spontaneous Woo.
Keywords:
goal setting
Article Body:
As I was driving to a friend's house, I passed the Dublin Pub, a local watering hole known for its live music. On the reader board, one band's name caught my eye: Spontaneous Woo.
I did a little digging and learned that the band hails from Bay City, Michigan and offers a funk/jazz blend. The term "spontaneous woo" refers to an audience response often seen during concerts in which a rising tide of enthusiasm culminates in a distinctive eruption of happy exclamations.
Now, theres a universal human experience. There is nothing quite like letting out a joyous, spontaneous "Woo!" when things are going our way. We might personalize our woo, making it come out as "Yesss!" or "Sweeeeeet" or even "Woo-HOO!"
Theres an appropriate word for this in every language. No matter what elicits this response, we know it means something good has happened. We recognize these woos, whether inspired by simple pleasures or major milestones, as a celebration of goodness. What makes us woo tells us a whole lot about what we value, and what we value is all that is "good".
What is "good"? How do we define it?
The British poet, W.H. Auden, said: "Goodness is easier to recognize than to define." Isn't that the truth!
We know "good" when we see it, just like we know when something is woo-worthy. Putting this into words in a consistent way is tough. This is where your personal philosophy comes in. Realize that your ideas of what makes a life "good" come from the people you know, the books you've read, the movies you've seen, and a host of influences you can't remember right now.
We use "good" to describe everything from a haircut to a mathematical theory. Essentially, something is "good" if it satisfies a certain expectation we have of it--it hits the target. A "good" cup of coffee could be strong, weak, bitter, sweet, milky, steaming hot, black, organic, shade-grown, or free, depending on what you value.
"Good" may be a moving target, but Aristotle happened to like the whole idea of targets. He used the Greek word "telos" which was the term used to describe an archery bulls-eye. It's a simple mental image--a big circle with a dot in the middle.
Teleology refers to the study of the purpose of things. Aristotle believed that everything in nature has a purpose, or target. A thing is good if it serves its purpose, fulfills its mission, or hits its target. The whole world is made up of these interrelated purposes.
According to Aristotle, our purpose is to think in order to live a good life. We're supposed to use our brains to contemplate, to appreciate the complexity of the universe, to attain greater understanding of our role as humans, and to be happy. By fulfilling our role as thinkers, we are living to purpose-we are living a good life.
What does that mean exactly? What do we use as guidelines or markers to help us determine if we are getting close to good?
If, as Aristotle says, our purpose is to live a good life and be happy, why isn't there some simple formula we can apply to everyone? What's the minimum woo-quotient of a good life? Can we be happy if we're not living a good life? Can we live a good life if we're not happy?
How much do we need to be happy? We all know plenty of people who never seem to be happy no matter how much they have. One of our greatest challenges as humans is figuring out how much is enough.
Aristotle believed that we need to use courage, honesty and moderation in pursuing pleasure. He considered moral goodness and enjoyment in life as the same thing. He believed it was okay to pursue anything you want, as long as you don't go overboard. This concept of moderation became known as the "golden mean".
Not surprisingly, this golden mean became a popular idea, especially among the rich. It was just what they wanted to hear! Remember that the majority of Aristotle's students were wealthy--who else had the time to study philosophy all day? Aristotle himself ended up being handsomely paid--especially for a philosopher!
Aristotle had his work cut out for him trying to remain moral while becoming wealthy. His most famous student, the classic overachiever Alexander the Great, clearly never got the point about moderation. Aristotle's emphasis on the golden mean got lost in all the excitement about pursuing whatever you like.
Hmmmm. Sounds a lot like modern life, doesn't it?
What kind of life would Aristotle suggest we live in the midst of all the stuff of the 21st century? What does moderation mean now?
Wealthy people are not necessarily more or less moral than anyone else, but they ARE tested more than the rest of us. They have the means to live an excessive lifestyle if they choose to do so. If you live large, your morality--or lack thereof--is magnified for the world to see. Add a dash of celebrity and a stint on TV, and you start serving as some sort of example.
This is where we get confused between "a good life" and "the good life".
We're fascinated by the choices people make when they have the ability to live any way they choose. We read magazines featuring photographs of celebrities in their homes. We watch television shows that give us tours of the properties owned by billionaires. We're both fascinated and repelled by reality shows that offer riches to those who manipulate others.
Why? It's because we're curious about the choices made, and we wonder what we would do given the same set of circumstances.
Seeing the homes, the furnishings, and the cars gives us an idea of what is valued by the individual. We watch because we wonder what choices we would make if we had the same bank account. Would we be extravagant? Would we live simply? Would we be tacky or tasteful? Would we horrify the neighbors or build a better community? Would our children be kind, compassionate, and generous, or would they be self-centered brats with a huge sense of entitlement?
Would we be like Sting--or Ozzy Osbourne? Would we have daughters like Sofia Coppola--or Paris Hilton?
Most of us have the, uh, good fortune of not being tempted to live without limits. Without being fully tested, we don't really know how we'd fare in a world of big money and bigger visibility.
The wonderful thing about living a good life is that it is possible to do it at any economic level. You can live a good life in poverty or wealth. Though we tend to think it's a lot easier to be an excellent human when we have sufficient funds in the bank, both versions--rich and poor--come with plenty of challenges.
It's tempting to put off becoming your best self until you believe you have the financial support to do it. "I'll be generous once I get to the top," you think. "I'll be kinder when I'm not so stressed." "I'll give back to the community when I retire."
There's no dollar amount that precludes or guarantees a good life, and there's no reason to postpone your own greatness. You may win the lottery tomorrow, or you may lose everything. Despite any dramatic shifts in your personal fortune, you can live a good life today.
Note and relish your own spontaneous woos on a daily basis, and look for ways to increase and deepen them. Think, be happy, and share that wealth in words, wit, and warmth.
The good life never felt so good.
BONUS : Title:
Getting To The Top By Fits And Starts
Word Count:
1191
Summary:
I would venture to believe that most people have the qualities to make them a success. Then why are not more of them successful?
Keywords:
goal setting
Article Body:
I would venture to believe that most people have the qualities to make them a success. Then why are not more of them successful? One observation is; by not following through on actions that they started with. They have victory in sight and then do you want to know what they do?
Settle For Mediocrity!
Have you ever known someone who was full of immediate action with no ultimate purpose? Their body is moving, their hands are busy, but their destination is unclear! Even when their actions apparently seem right, they show they're not fully aware of where they're going.
Since they're not really sure of where they're going, they settle for something less than what they started after. Here's an example: You decide you need to get some area of your life under control. Maybe you decide you need to stop worrying. And, that's a good thing. That's a very worthy goal to pursue.
So, you begin to read good motivational books, you listen to good motivational tapes and you're busy as you can be to get this worry bug under your foot. But, all the time you're doing this, there is a nagging thought in your head that says; "what if it doesn't work this time?"
A Rotten Apple Will Spoil The Barrel!
In affect, what you're doing is; tearing down worry on one side and building up fear on the other. If someone says to you, how are you coming along with eliminating worry? You say, "Yes, it's going great!" And then you say, but, you know I heard they are going to be laying off a lot of people at the plant and I'm afraid I may lose my job.
What have you done? You showed "worry" the door, and invited fear in to play footsy with you. And, believe it; fear will cause just as much havoc as worry. They both come from the bottomless pit, and have no business in our thoughts.
Listen, even if they are going to lay off a bunch of people at your plant, you can't do a thing about it by fearing it or worrying about it. If it happens, deal with it then; NOT NOW!!
And, don't tell yourself you can't stop worrying because it is too serious of a matter and could devastate your livelihood. !
For Crying Out Loud!
If you believe that then you're saying that nothing bad has ever happened to you without you first giving it a real good dose of worry before it happened.
I tell you right now; many lousy troubles have happened to me, right out of the blue, and I never spent ten seconds worrying about them beforehand. I didn't even know about them. The point is: if troubles are going to happen anyway, we need to know how to deal with them. And, worry and fear is not the way to do it.
Every Dog Has Its Day!
You have never fixed anything in your life by worrying about it. If it got better, it's not because you worried about it; it's more than likely because you didn't settle for mediocrity and insisted on full victory. And, sometimes good things just happen. Hallelujah!
Now you can understand why some people's actions seem directionless at times. They put all their efforts towards eliminating one obstacle while setting up another. They're like the proverbial "unstoppable object hitting the immovable object." And, then on the way to success, they stop somewhere short and settle for whatever is there at the time.
Most of the time, you can be relatively sure, it was some emotion that stopped them short. It was an emotion that started them and it will be an emotion that stops them. Emotions are a funny thing: They can fuel us with enough fire to leap tall buildings, and at the same time, make us feel like it won't happen until pigs fly.
A Fine Kettle Of Fish!
What a revolting development. What do we believe? What do we do? No wonder some people seem directionless in their pursuit of their goals. No wonder some people just settle for mediocrity in mid stream just to satisfy those conflicting emotions and shut them up. And, it's a pretty good way to boast success since we didn't follow through to see what would ultimately happen.
I'm thinking of too many times in my life as a young man that I stopped in mid stream to take what ever was there and stop the feelings that kept saying; "if you keep going you might not get it; better take what you got now." You know that ole saying, "a bird in the hand?"
I didn't want to hear that bird in the hand crap. My head said that to me so many times I was beginning to feel as lucky as the only man in a women's prison with a fist full of pardons. Talk about directionless; and settling for mediocrity.
Ah! That's Where The Rub Is!
The problem is: someone can get into a habit of "settling", and then that's the real source of the directionless and out of control life. As long as we live in this world, we will have opportunities to "settle" for something of mediocrity.
The more we "settle" the more of a habit it becomes and the more we sub-consciously start expecting a "settling point." We don't think about it and we certainly don't start out with the intention of finding a place to settle. But, when it shows up, and the "bird in the hand" voices start their song and tap dance on our forehead, we say, I know when to hold em, and I know when to fold em, and its time to fold em.
The point is: it's not a bad thing to fold em if you can walk away ahead in the game. But, if it becomes an ingrained habit then the folding point will start showing up earlier and earlier till you find yourself folding right after the start.
Get To The Bottom Of It!
How do you know when to fold? This is not rocket science. It's pretty simple really. Ask yourself a couple of key questions. Can I walk away ahead? Has this thing given me something of value? And most important; has something else presented itself in my life that I can replace this with?
For me, if any one of these three questions are "no", then I'm not ready to fold em; especially the last one.
Would you like to know why we settle for something less? This is not really difficult to understand but it might be hard to accept. So pay attention, and at least give this some serious thought. Don't let the simplicity of it get away from you. The reason is, we don't know "how" to fix it.
If we knew how, we would keep going. If we knew what to do, there would be no need to settle. If we knew what was going to happen in every circumstance, we would not worry! We would never worry. Think about it. The lack of knowledge.
Getting To The Top By Fits And Starts
Word Count:
1191
Summary:
I would venture to believe that most people have the qualities to make them a success. Then why are not more of them successful?
Keywords:
goal setting
Article Body:
I would venture to believe that most people have the qualities to make them a success. Then why are not more of them successful? One observation is; by not following through on actions that they started with. They have victory in sight and then do you want to know what they do?
Settle For Mediocrity!
Have you ever known someone who was full of immediate action with no ultimate purpose? Their body is moving, their hands are busy, but their destination is unclear! Even when their actions apparently seem right, they show they're not fully aware of where they're going.
Since they're not really sure of where they're going, they settle for something less than what they started after. Here's an example: You decide you need to get some area of your life under control. Maybe you decide you need to stop worrying. And, that's a good thing. That's a very worthy goal to pursue.
So, you begin to read good motivational books, you listen to good motivational tapes and you're busy as you can be to get this worry bug under your foot. But, all the time you're doing this, there is a nagging thought in your head that says; "what if it doesn't work this time?"
A Rotten Apple Will Spoil The Barrel!
In affect, what you're doing is; tearing down worry on one side and building up fear on the other. If someone says to you, how are you coming along with eliminating worry? You say, "Yes, it's going great!" And then you say, but, you know I heard they are going to be laying off a lot of people at the plant and I'm afraid I may lose my job.
What have you done? You showed "worry" the door, and invited fear in to play footsy with you. And, believe it; fear will cause just as much havoc as worry. They both come from the bottomless pit, and have no business in our thoughts.
Listen, even if they are going to lay off a bunch of people at your plant, you can't do a thing about it by fearing it or worrying about it. If it happens, deal with it then; NOT NOW!!
And, don't tell yourself you can't stop worrying because it is too serious of a matter and could devastate your livelihood. !
For Crying Out Loud!
If you believe that then you're saying that nothing bad has ever happened to you without you first giving it a real good dose of worry before it happened.
I tell you right now; many lousy troubles have happened to me, right out of the blue, and I never spent ten seconds worrying about them beforehand. I didn't even know about them. The point is: if troubles are going to happen anyway, we need to know how to deal with them. And, worry and fear is not the way to do it.
Every Dog Has Its Day!
You have never fixed anything in your life by worrying about it. If it got better, it's not because you worried about it; it's more than likely because you didn't settle for mediocrity and insisted on full victory. And, sometimes good things just happen. Hallelujah!
Now you can understand why some people's actions seem directionless at times. They put all their efforts towards eliminating one obstacle while setting up another. They're like the proverbial "unstoppable object hitting the immovable object." And, then on the way to success, they stop somewhere short and settle for whatever is there at the time.
Most of the time, you can be relatively sure, it was some emotion that stopped them short. It was an emotion that started them and it will be an emotion that stops them. Emotions are a funny thing: They can fuel us with enough fire to leap tall buildings, and at the same time, make us feel like it won't happen until pigs fly.
A Fine Kettle Of Fish!
What a revolting development. What do we believe? What do we do? No wonder some people seem directionless in their pursuit of their goals. No wonder some people just settle for mediocrity in mid stream just to satisfy those conflicting emotions and shut them up. And, it's a pretty good way to boast success since we didn't follow through to see what would ultimately happen.
I'm thinking of too many times in my life as a young man that I stopped in mid stream to take what ever was there and stop the feelings that kept saying; "if you keep going you might not get it; better take what you got now." You know that ole saying, "a bird in the hand?"
I didn't want to hear that bird in the hand crap. My head said that to me so many times I was beginning to feel as lucky as the only man in a women's prison with a fist full of pardons. Talk about directionless; and settling for mediocrity.
Ah! That's Where The Rub Is!
The problem is: someone can get into a habit of "settling", and then that's the real source of the directionless and out of control life. As long as we live in this world, we will have opportunities to "settle" for something of mediocrity.
The more we "settle" the more of a habit it becomes and the more we sub-consciously start expecting a "settling point." We don't think about it and we certainly don't start out with the intention of finding a place to settle. But, when it shows up, and the "bird in the hand" voices start their song and tap dance on our forehead, we say, I know when to hold em, and I know when to fold em, and its time to fold em.
The point is: it's not a bad thing to fold em if you can walk away ahead in the game. But, if it becomes an ingrained habit then the folding point will start showing up earlier and earlier till you find yourself folding right after the start.
Get To The Bottom Of It!
How do you know when to fold? This is not rocket science. It's pretty simple really. Ask yourself a couple of key questions. Can I walk away ahead? Has this thing given me something of value? And most important; has something else presented itself in my life that I can replace this with?
For me, if any one of these three questions are "no", then I'm not ready to fold em; especially the last one.
Would you like to know why we settle for something less? This is not really difficult to understand but it might be hard to accept. So pay attention, and at least give this some serious thought. Don't let the simplicity of it get away from you. The reason is, we don't know "how" to fix it.
If we knew how, we would keep going. If we knew what to do, there would be no need to settle. If we knew what was going to happen in every circumstance, we would not worry! We would never worry. Think about it. The lack of knowledge.
