Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: life

  • Quote to Consider: The Risk of Dying

    quote-to-consider“An individual dies… when, instead of taking risks and hurling himself toward being, he cowers within, and takes refuge there.”

    E. M. Cioran

  • Quote to Consider: Steve Jobs on Living True

    quote-to-consider“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”  Steve Jobs

  • Life is a Casserole… Still a Feast, Just Not Very Pretty

    I begin with an apology to those for whom work and life come easy. To those for whose priorities sort themselves out before any difficult choice needs to be made, this article may seem so much wasted breath.

    We tend to think about the various contexts of life separately. Work, family, friends, politics, sports, religion, hobbies, etc.

    We then proceed to burden ourselves with the task of achieving a mythical ideal of “balance” between them all. As if there existed some ideal slicing of the pie, so to speak, by which we would be appropriately invested in each compartment in such a way that we were neither overwhelmed by any one of them.

    Better than slices of pie, though, is the analogy of the seven-course meal. Each course in its time, each course serving its culinary purpose, each course designed to delight all of the senses. So we think about our various contexts of life. Each should have its time, accomplish its purpose, and result in its benefits.

    Reality, though, rarely (I’m dying to say “never”) works out so neatly. Reality is messy. Reality consists of the unexpected, the complex, much that is broken, and much that does not fit very well.

    Instead of embracing the messiness of reality, we launch on our various heroic quests for the holy grail of “balance.”

    Maybe the casserole would be a yet better analogy for life than the seven-course meal. All the same ingredients are present, but the presentation isn’t as beautiful and the components aren’t artificially kept separate.

    The task of building a meaningful and rewarding life feels differently to me when my goal is to simply concoct the most delicious casserole I can. Instead of chasing some mythical ideal of the perfectly balanced seven-course meal, I am working with who I currently am and with what and whom I currently have in the pantry.

    What have you got in the pantry? Instead of stressing about what’s not there, how about taking stock of what is there. Instead of viewing what is there through the eyes of the seven-course meal and how far short it falls of that ideal, view it through the eyes of the casserole and what delicious combinations can be created by you.

    The gourmet sausage industry did not grow out of trying to figure out what to do with the best cuts of meat.

    Work, family, friends, politics, sports, religion and hobbies don’t need to be artificially isolated from each other and set at odds with each other. We don’t need to argue about whether the main course should be work or family or religion.

    If I can be ok with the harsh reality that casseroles will never look as beautiful, organized or balanced as a meal with courses, then I can relax and enjoy how delightfully yummy it is.

    I have, in essence, traded the unattainable and mythical ideal of balance for the always available if messy reality of flavor.

    Still a feast, just not very pretty.

    On your side,

    – Karl Edwards

  • Quote to Consider: Safe, But At What Cost?

    quote-to-considerAny life truly lived is a risky business, and if one puts up too many fences against the risks one ends by shutting out life itself.

    Kenneth S. Davis

  • N.T. Wright Offers Insight on “Learning the Language of Life” at Fuller Seminary

    nt-wrightFor whom does making complex choices come more naturally, the person who has been practicing ahead in a somewhat unnatural manner, or the person who lives from moment to moment, trusting God to be present and helpful more spontaneously?

    If you want to hear one of the best cases for practicing virtue before you need it, check out this talk N.T. Wright gave at Fuller Seminary on February 27th.

    He is one of my favorite thinkers, and it was a thrill to be present for this presentation.

    It’s an hour long audio presentation, so grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy! (It’s also a big file, so depending on your connection speed it make take a few moments to begin playing.)


  • Loving Monday: First Monday of 2009

    With a mix of dread and anticipation many of us start back at work today.

    We are thankful to have work to go back to. Some don’t.

    At the same time, though, we catch ourselves associating our vacations with when life gets to be lived and our work with when life stops and making ends meet begins again.

    This first Monday of 2009 let’s choose to live fully while making ends meet. This first work week of the year let’s begin a practice of working with excellence, relating with authenticity, and choosing to show up fully.

    Every day matters, but Monday is when we have an opportunity to reframe a new week. Today, we get to reframe a new year.

    What might excellence, authenticity and showing up fully look like for you this week? This year?

    On your side,

    – Karl Edwards

  • Thanksgiving Rumor Worth Paying Attention To

    Thankfulness does not always come easily.

    Life is complicated. Often difficult.

    Circumstances do not arrange themselves tidily in our favor. Obstacles are not uncommon. Unexpected challenges can unpleasantly surprise.

    And yet in the Christian tradition we are advised to practice giving thanks anyway. Whether or not we are having a good time with this journey called life, the rumor is that some sort of good accompanies the practice of saying thank you.

    Interesting.

    Today, as a national holiday, we pause to give thanks. An annual practice in the art of giving thanks. Today, as a nation, we face new challenges, unnerving circumstances with much out of our control.

    Even so, we recognize that we have much to be thankful for. And so we gather to give voice and form to our appreciation for these blessings.

    The rumor is that we will be better off for doing so. Seems like a rumor worth paying attention to.

  • Education for What?

    EducationI’ve been thinking about the value of formal education since returning from a college tour with my daughter.

    Granted there’s an expectation in the culture that necessitates degree work for appropriate professional credentialing. But in addition to that, there is the importance of being able to think clearly, comprehensively and complexly in order to meet the challenges of 21st century planet Earth.

    I’m not a big fan of the job-focused approach to education. While being able to secure a job is vital in this money-based world, we need more than the capacity to impress to result from our education.

    Try asking yourself, “Whose world is this?”

    If your answer is, “Theirs” then your focus becomes figuring out what “they” expect and making sure you have it. Once you learn their rules, your education becomes a means to comply and compete. To get the job and to keep the job.

    If your answer is, “Mine” then your focus becomes figuring out what “you” want and making sure you are taking steps to make it happen. You become a participator in making the rules, and your education becomes a means to think and act more creatively, more systematically, more resourcefully. To show up fully and make a difference.

    If you have teens like I do, whose world are you preparing them to inhabit?

  • Question of the Week

    What criteria do you use to measure the impact your work has on your quality of life?