Final Thoughts — Post #2

Here’s another final reflection heard by Professor Tony Komaroff (M.D.), Professor at Harvard Medical School.

A man in his 80’s. He never married, had no family, and never seemed lonely. He was a performing artist who made a lot of money, spent a lot of time in Vegas, and died poor. When asked how he had spent all the money he’d made he replied: “I spent a lot on dames, and a lot at the tables and at the track. The rest I foolishly squandered.”

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Final Thoughts — Post #1

I recently met Professor Tony Komaroff (M.D.), a Professor at Harvard Medical School. In his profession as a medical doctor, he’s heard the last words and final thoughts of many individuals. Over the next week, I will post some of the reflections he’s heard. Here’s the first one…

A 70 year old woman with breast cancer said, “I was so disappointed when my daughter didn’t get in to Radcliffe. The worst thing about it was that she must have sensed my disappointment and felt terrible. I realize now that I was imposing the dreams I had for myself on to her. Neither of us got into Radcliffe, and we both had a life full of love, accomplishment and happiness, thank you very much. And compared to 99% of the other women in this world, we lived a life of privilege and security. Why does regret come so much more easily than gratitude?”

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Paula Poundstone, the great comedian, has a hilarious perspective on adults trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. This fits nicely with the Goal-Free Living concept

Click here to view the 45 second video from her HBO special.

Be sure to check out Paula’s website, PaulaPoundstone.com

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Unpredictable Trajectories

This past weekend I attended a conference with 400 other individuals. Over the course of 5 days, I was part of dozens of discussions around a wide range of topics. One panel discussion included several very high powered people from business, television broadcasting, aeronautics, technology, and philanthropy. Listening to the stories of these extraordinary people, I was struck how their most interesting stories were the ones that arose out of unpredictable circumstances. I asked the panel, “In your life, what has played a more important role: plans and goals, or unpredictability and spontaneity?”

Those who answered agreed that the latter, spontaneity, played a larger role in creating their greatest breakthroughs, successes, or fun experiences. One panelist said, “Goals are limiting. We are trying to define a target before we even have all of the data. The problem with goals is that you convince yourself that you know how to get from point A to point B. Even if it proves to be true, which often it isn’t, the really exciting things in life occur when you go from point A to anywhere other than point B. I prefer to participate in endeavors with an unpredictable trajectory.”

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