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What are some examples of Right Livelihood to you? What do you do for a living? What steps are you taking towards Right Livelihood?
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2024-03-06
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Right Livelihood Books
LISTS OF CLASSIC BOOKS ABOUT RIGHT LIVELIOOD With Brief Annotations I thought I'd share the book lists with brief annotations that I've created for people aspiring to Right Livelihood. The lists cover the six primary areas of focus when it comes to using mindfulness to find meaningful work. Mindfulness Compassion at Work and in Life Relationships, Family, and Community Working for Yourself and Others Active Health Practices Inspiring Stories Each book in these lists has passed the test of time and many foresee the troubles of today 10, 20, or 30 years ago. The problems have increased in seriousness, but…
2024-03-06
Musings on Right Livelihood
Perhaps the most influential teacher about right livelihood, for me, is Tarthang Tulku, Rimpoche, a Tibetan Vajrayana teacher and lama who introduced the Nyingma school tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to the United States. He is a prolific author and, in my opinion, gifted the world with Skillful Means: Gentle Ways to Successful Work—one of the most practical handbooks on right livelihood I’ve encountered. Lately, I’ve been musing about time, time management, how much time I have left, what exactly we mean when we talk about “time.” I returned to Skillful Means for some inspirations and thought I’d share some notes…
2024-01-26
Hello Zelle. Goodbye Paypal, Venmo, and Your Cousins
Recently I was asked why I had drifted away from using Paypal, Venmo and similar payment services to collect payments from my clients. One simple reason: Zelle. Zelle is a money transfer service free to customers of participating banks. Zelle sends the recipient a text or email indicating there's a payment waiting for them, along with a link to accept it. If the recipient's bank is a participating partner, the recipient simply needs to register for the service through their bank's website or mobile app with an email address or phone number. Zelle payments are typically available within minutes. (The…
2023-10-28
Charlie Varon’s Year in Review (5783/2023)
The other day, I was looking at Charlie Varon's website for some inspiration (he frequently inspires me) and I encountered his "The Year Year in Review: 5783." That's 5783 on the Hebrew calendar which just ended on September 15, 2023 of the modern calendar. He and his collaborators created an inspiring review of the 12 months from September 2022 to September 2023. It is worldly and thoughtful and includes both good things and bad. I found it quite inspiring. You can find it at: https://www.charlievaron.com/yearinreview About CharlieSome of you have undoubtedly enjoyed performances by Charlie Varon. Charlie is an author,…
2023-10-17
Charlie Varon
People Don’t Buy Products or Services
That's right! People don't buy products or services. They buy a way to rid themselves of: a pain a problem a challenge Or they buy to fill: a desire a need. They want solutions. They also want Courtesy Friendliness Honesty If you give them these, they'll choose you every time over anyone who gives less. My old mentor Michael Phillips taught his apprentices that the whole transaction of the exchange of goods and services. should be the basic unit of observation. This is contrary to contemporary economic theory’s focus on the basic unit of observation as money (or its equivalent).…
2023-08-16
The Wisdom of C. West Churchman
A plan that emphasizes the parts may pay the cost of failing to consider the whole, and a plan that emphasizes the whole may pay the cost of failing to get down to the real depth with respect to the parts." C. West ChurchmanAmerican philosopher and systems scientist It's always wise to raise questions about the most obvious and simple assumption. C. West ChurchmanAmerican philosopher and systems scientist We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them. C. West ChurchmanAmerican philosopher and systems scientist Knowledge resides in…
2022-09-22
C. West Churchman
B Corps and Patagonia’s new ownership model
Client Advice MESSAGE FROM XXXXX XXXXXXX ON 09/15/2022 Hi Claude, Dropping in for some input. I was thinking of sending a bulk message to my Men's team, but I'll start with you instead since you're as badass as their combined total anyway. The Biden administration recently allocated $350 billion dollars In federal loans and loan guarantees for energy and automotive projects and businesses. That money will be dispersed by the energy department. (Side note: Critics say this looks suspiciously like what happened to Solyndra, the energy company that borrowed $500 million from the Obama administration and then went bankrupt...) Of…
2022-09-16
Patagonia founder Chouinard
Briarpatch, Hippie Entrepreneurs, and Open Books, Part 1
Not to long ago, I got a request from a member of the Briarpatch (the alternative business network I coordinate) to listen to a podcast her godson had created about hippies and the counterculture movement of the 1960s. The response I wrote to him follows: I'm a friend of Xxxxx's and coordinator of the "hippie" business network she has been a member of for many years. She invited me to listen to your podcast and I thought it was delightful and pretty damn accurate. As she pointed out, she was in the incubator of the East at the time which…
2022-09-05
Briarpatch, Hippie Entrepreneurs, and Open Books, Part 2
Of Historical Note In the Briarpatch's early years, our open books practice spread by word of mouth to counterculture businesses coast to coast. This set the stage for the launch of the "open-book management" movement popularized in the early 90s by Jack Stack and John Case in their books, respectively, • The Great Game of Business: Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management • Open-Book Management: The Coming Business Revolution. Stack chronicles the story of an International Harvester factory in Springfield, Missouri that headquarters was putting on the chopping block. The 130 or so managers and employees who…
2022-09-05
The Briarpatch Book
Mindfulness & Right Livelihood
Meaningful Work Food for Thought "We rush too much with nervous hands and worried minds. We are impatient for results. What we need . . . is reinforcement of the soul by the invisible power waiting to be used." Henry Ford Henry Ford is the ultimate icon of the twins genius and demon. His was a fabulous commercial success and he had a high level of concern for the welfare of his employees. Yet his factories polluted, he conspired to dominate his suppliers and crush his competition, and his people were dumped on the street if they could not adjust…
2022-08-01
Good Work and Your Work Portfolio
There are many ways to organize a work portfolio. Gleanings from planet Briarpatch have revealed a simple portfolio model based on the activities required to become and remain visible to your potential supporters and fans. A majority of these activities involve communications in support of increasing trust, building relationships, and delivering meaningful, value-rich products and/or experiences. A Simple Model of Seven Activities for Creating the Good Work Lifestyle Think About It Write About It Speak About It Teach About It Coach About It Consult About It Productize It These activities generally proceed in the order listed, though there may be…
2020-07-01