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The Power of Practical Wisdom
The Power of Practical Wisdom
Aristotle coined a phrase – practical wisdom – to stand for the will to do the right thing and the skill to figure out what that is on a daily basis. He considered it the key to happiness, because practical wisdom is the path to fulfilling the two things that matter most – love and work.
To have meaningful relationships and to make a difference through your contribution are the essential measurements of a satisfying life. This goes far beyond mere incentives (like money or material possessions) to do the right thing – the reward is in the doing.
To have practical wisdom means that you know when to innovate, when to bend the rules, when to be flexible, when to improvise a solution. No set of rules can give us what we want because they become inherently constrictive. And rules can often require the individual to sacrifice their own beliefs in order to adhere to the rule.
One other concept that bears consideration here – it’s what Aristotle called ‘proper telos’, meaning to build on and nurture character in order to keep a profession true to its proper mission.
By working with the business, people can often see the impact of their beliefs, blocks, confusion and chaos because they’re not getting the business results they want; quite honestly, this is what shows them the extent of the need to develop their character, practical wisdom, potential, consciousness and their own self-belief. They rise to meet who they are here to be… and it’s through choosing movement, to do something different, that it can occur.
You cannot grow if you stay in one place. You cannot get new results if you keep doing the same thing over and over again. You cannot honor your gifts if you stick to cookie-cutter systems and the ‘rules’, whether it’s the hidden rules for success in your head or the rules you follow that don’t align with your authentic being. And you can’t see your own thoughts as distorted because they are normal to you.
In order to develop your practical wisdom and to contribute ‘proper telos’ to your industry, pay attention to what pulls you, be aware of the triggers that trip you up and the opportunities that invite you to be more. Make the commitment to cultivate your best self and express that through every facet of your business. And be in gratitude for the ‘teachers’ who show up for you, regardless of their form (challenge, problem, issue, betrayal, disappointment) because it is these teachers who can show you the fastest path to your next best level both personally and professionally.
Cultivate your practical wisdom to innovate, improvise and improve your business. Then get ready to watch it – and you – grow exponentially.
Lynn Scheurell
http://mycreativecatalyst.com
Lynn Scheurell, writer, author, teacher and professional catalyst, is an authority on translating nebulous and/or complex concepts to clear, concise language that effectively distills the key ideas to be communicated.
Since 1998, she has worked with more than 5,000 people to discover their unique message and accelerate their delivery of it through their businesses, books and presentations.
By definition, a catalyst provokes significant change; this is what people expect in working with Lynn. She is an innovator and facilitator of the complex made simple. Concurrently, Lynn also knows the proven keys to success in communications, language and marketing.
Her mainstream employment history includes nearly two decades of increasing corporate responsibilities as: the dean of education for a nation vocational system, a resource development officer in the not-for-profit sector, membership recruiter for a national health and human services association, physician recruiter and negotiator, temp agency manager, special projects consultant for a start-up technology company, manager of client relations, sales, social worker and health insurance claims adjuster.
She has also had serial entrepreneurial ventures (both online and brick and mortar) since her teens in such diverse businesses as: a specialty boutique retail shop, a resume writing business, a home staging business, working as a professional intuitive, personal / entrepreneurial development mentor and writer.
All these opportunities, as well as consistent continuing education through workshops, seminars, classes, group training and private mentoring, provided development in her innovation and brainstorming skills, lateral systems thinking capabilities and cultivated a high sensitivity to unseen energies that can be utilized to optimize communication flow.
Her formal education was received through the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, with a B.S. in Criminal Justice (with minors in Psychology and Sociology). In high school, she was valedictorian, class president and prom queen of the first graduating class of the (then) new college-bound program at Rufus King Prep School in Milwaukee, WI.
Focusing now on writing her own book, she currently resides in Austin, Texas. She considers herself to be a practical visionary, idea generator and facilitator of positive transformation through clarity consciousness.
See www.LynnScheurell.com and www.MyCreativeCatalyst.com for more information.
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