"The Higher Purpose" - Michael Ray. Michael Ray: Higher purpose. The secret that keeps you going every minute The highest goal. The secret that keeps you going every minute. Michael Ray. Read online, download e-book fb2, txt, epub

28.01.2022

What is this book about
"This may be the most important book you will ever read."
Review from one of Michael Ray's students
A book about how to find your highest purpose in life.

Named the most creative person in Silicon Valley by FastCompany magazine, Michael Ray developed and taught the famous Creativity in Business course at Stanford for 25 years.

From the very beginning, Ray's course began to have a very profound effect on the graduates. It felt like they had access to some secret source of energy and inspiration. Ray concluded that his classes helped students find their "highest purpose" - the power that gives real meaning to your life, that speaks to your deepest being.

In this book, Michael will help you find your highest purpose through practical exercises, stories, and advice.

From the Foreword by Jim Collins

At 3:20 p.m., I sauntered into the seminar room, found an empty seat, and waited for class to begin. While we waited for professors Michael Ray and Rachel Myers to speak, my classmates and I chatted, telling each other about our summer jobs and class schedules. Nothing happened, so we chatted some more. Still nothing happened. Eventually we noticed Michael and Rachel sitting in front of us, waiting for something. The noise gradually

settled down as each group of chattering students took turns noticing the teachers who were patiently waiting for us to pay attention to them.

Finally, Rachel Myers - no more than five feet tall, wearing a long flowing robe, with a large silver medallion on her chest - stood up and said in a barely audible voice, almost a whisper: “Today you embark on a ten-week journey in search of your inner essence.”

I immediately began flipping through the course catalog looking for a replacement. My search was interrupted by Michael Ray, who offered us a meditation exercise. “Slowly take a deep breath,” Michael said. “Feel the energy in the toes of your right foot. Feel it moving through your foot. Focus on your right foot. Don’t do anything, just feel your right foot...” I suddenly thought that I made a very bad 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 Rachel and her flowing robes, and about Michael, who reminded me of Yogi Bear in a rumpled professorial suit (only later did I learn that he was really a yogi, that is, a spiritual mentor), leading us in meditation classes. In college I majored in applied mathematics, worked at the McKinsey Institute. I had (and still have) a passion for analysis and data-driven research.

Joanna listened and then simply said, "I think Michael Ray's course will be really helpful for you. Why don't you stay and see what happens?"

And this is what happened: I would not be where I am today, having lived the wonderful life given to me, if it were not for this course. And I'm not alone in this. Not a year goes by that I don't come across other graduates who feel the same way I do and who are grateful to have taken this course early in their lives. Little did we know at the time that that experience would be the first step in a life-long journey toward the subject of this book: identifying and achieving your highest goal with courage and perseverance.

THE HIGHEST GOAL

The Secret That Sustains You in Every Moment

Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Published by permission of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

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 law firm"Vegas-Lex"

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...

Joanna listened to my lamentations and then said confidently, “I think Michael Ray’s course will be helpful to you. Wait to refuse it, maybe you’ll like it?”

She was right: I would not have reached such heights and my life would not have been so bright if not for this course. And I am not alone in this opinion. Not a year goes by without one of the graduates noting how grateful he is to fate for being able to take this course at one time. But we didn’t know then that we had already taken the first step in a life-long journey to finding our highest goal.

However, the experience was not easy for the insecure simpleton obsessed with data operations. “When will we get some technology for creativity or management methods for creating innovative products?” – I asked a couple of weeks after the start of the course. I longed for tools, technology, methods—something practical and useful.

In response, Michael told a story about a businessman who came to the Master in search of enlightenment. They sat down to drink tea, and the businessman began to talk about his life: about problems and difficulties, about how he strived to achieve some heights, how he was looking for the right path, and meaning, and purpose, and... and the Teacher remained silent and poured tea into his cup. It was already filled, and the Teacher poured and poured, and the tea already overflowed, filled the saucer, then spilled onto the table and, finally, onto the man’s knee.

"Hey! What are you doing?" – the businessman screamed and jumped up, brushing off his trousers.

“Your cup is overflowing,” answered the Master. – You add and add and add... to your life. Until you empty the cup, you will not find room for enlightenment within yourself.”

Michael and Rochelle explained that the “journey” ahead of us is not about new skills and knowledge, but its purpose is to remove barriers to creativity. They proceeded from the premise that there are no people who do not know how to create, but there are those whose talents have not yet been discovered. They wanted us to realize that each of us has our own treasure chest in the attic - with creativity - and we just need to do a thorough cleaning - remove all the rubbish that is cluttered with this chest in order to open it and look inside. The essence of the metaphor was the challenge posed to each of us: “ Transform your life into a work of art!»

In subsequent years, I came to the conclusion that there are two approaches to life. The first one, used by most, is the “children's coloring book” route. You do what you are told. You walk along a well-trodden path. Act within the prescribed limits. And in the end you get a pretty, but mediocre picture. The second approach, which only a few choose, is the artist’s path: when they take a blank canvas and paint a masterpiece. This path is more difficult, risky, uncertain and requires a creative approach. But this is the only opportunity to make your life a work of art. Creating a masterpiece requires non-standard solutions, searching for a starting point, a guiding thread in the absence of convenient contours and lines of a ready-made set. Such attitudes are the highest goal, and this book will tell you how to build your life with the help of Michael’s discoveries.

When I took the course in 1982, Professor Ray had not yet defined the highest purpose. But the idea was everywhere, like an overarching concept, a hidden framework of creative experience. Now, twenty years later, Michael has precisely defined the meta-concept and describes it in detail in these pages.

At the center of the process is the idea of rules for every day. These are mantras that you not only repeat day after day, but also follow for some time (usually a week or a little longer). At Stanford, the instructions for each day puzzled us deeply: “If nothing works right away, don’t try too hard. Be careful! Ask dumb questions. Destroy judgment, create curiosity. Don't think about it. Be ordinary."

This is the secret of all people who live creatively: it allows you to save 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 reveal their Creative skills, this, we believed, 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 recognize 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 latest books– “Mindfulness and Money: The Buddhist Path of Abundance” – he says that this course “opened the eyes of many students to spirituality in business.”

"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. Author of the book, 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 life path. 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

The 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.

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

* * *

To my students and teachers:

May the flow of goodness never dry up

Bernard Show

Joy is the highest goal.

Chinese proverb

Preface

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

Joanna listened to my lamentations and then said confidently, “I think Michael Ray’s course will be helpful to you. Wait to refuse it, maybe you’ll like it?”

"Hey! What are you doing?" – the businessman screamed and jumped up, brushing off his trousers.

“Your cup is overflowing,” answered the Master. – You add and add and add... to your life. Until you empty the cup, you will not find room for enlightenment within yourself.”

But the most difficult rule was this: “Do what is easy, what does not require effort and what brings joy.” Unfortunately, we had to follow it during the mid-year exams, so we immediately had problems: “If you only do things that are effortless and bring joy, you will have to miss the exams. How can I complete this task without failing the other subjects?”

I decided to treat the exams like climbing the fourth pitch on Naked Edge in Eldorado Canyon. Naked Edge is one of the most beautiful peaks in the whole North America; it is ideal for rock climbing, except for the fourth pitch. Every time I climb Naked Edge I dread this part of the route. It is necessary to squeeze into a crack that widens downwards and crawl along the overhanging wall, as if inside a bell, with your feet slipping, causing you to slide every now and then, and your shoulders getting stuck in the narrow upper part of the crack. The unusual combination of claustrophobia and uncertainty is compounded by the fact that no protective devices are effective at this stage. (So if you fall out of a crevasse and lose some of your equipment, you'll be falling for a long time, breaking bones along the way.) Nevertheless, despite the extreme difficulty of this part of the route, I climbed Naked Edge perhaps thirty times . Taken separately, the fourth rope is a complete hassle and tedious physical labor. Taken in the context of this amazing place, on a beautiful day, with a good partner, and given that climbing is my favorite sport, the fourth pitch brings true joy. I compared my exams with it and solved the problem.

"The Higher Purpose" - Michael Ray. Michael Ray: Higher purpose. The secret that keeps you going every minute The highest goal. The secret that keeps you going every minute. Michael Ray. Read online, download e-book fb2, txt, epub

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

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