Self Mastery: Learning To Be — Comprehensive Study Notes
Wonderment
Central idea: Learning to be is a lifelong, joyful process of becoming the best version of oneself, recognizing that there are many possible selves and the journey reveals new possibilities as you learn.
Not a destination: Treat learning to be as the ongoing process of celebrating life, where every moment feels purpose-driven; paraphrase: “the moving life lives, and having lived moves on.” Each second can feel like a destination, yet more destinations lie ahead.
The beginner’s mind: Embrace wonderment by approaching life and work without fixed formulas; avoid rigid preconceptions.
Classroom and professional practice as examples of wonderment:
In graduate management teaching, avoid over-preparation to prevent imposing a fixed analysis; use cold calls and follow students’ initial thought patterns to keep discussions open and spontaneous.
Design processes from scratch: talk to practitioners to gather unexpurgated viewpoints, create a prototype, then mercilessly revise while exploring other designs; avoid consulting with peers who might rationalize away novel approaches.
Wonderment in practice: Exploring new fields daily, seeking to make oneself obsolete by continually learning (e.g., moving from Finance to Creativity and Intuition, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Management, Social Development, and Spirituality in the Workplace).
Interdisciplinary curiosity: Interest in connections between quantum physics and Eastern mysticism, and between the humanities and management.
Driving metaphor: Wonderment is the driver of inquiry and learning, fueling the quest to understand the why, what, who, when, and which of phenomena.
Key motto: Curiosity does not kill; it stirs life within the mind, heart, and spirit and fosters a quest to complete a discovery.
Patience with the unknown: Cultivate a wanderlust for questions as the path to growth.
World View
Definition: An expansive, inclusive, all-encompassing philosophical perspective used to witness life.
Expansive: Reaching beyond one’s education/upbringing to appreciate a wider world.
Inclusive: Respecting others’ ideas, cultures, religions, political persuasions, and social norms.
All-encompassing: Seeing the total picture and universal perspective.
Pond metaphor (Indonesian student story):
The student described himself as a “small pond” that collects waters from streams and brooks, then releases them to a river that flows to the ocean; the ocean forms clouds that return as rain to the mountain tops, continuing the cycle.
The administrator reframes this as a sign to grow into a bigger pond after schooling, emphasizing the role of knowledge and experience in personal wisdom and generosity to humanity.
Challenges to world views: Some viewpoints are myopic or intolerant; conflicts arise among Christians, Jews, and Muslims who worship the same God yet clash over interpretation.
Human origins and migration: All humans share a common origin; skin color changes reflect adaptation to climates; mass enslavement and systemic injustices show how ideologies can distort empathy and justice.
Ideological distortions: Even ideologies meant to fight injustice (e.g., Communism) can be misused; democracy can fail when power concentrates in elites; polarization arises when people fixate on narrow interpretations of religion or philosophy.
Big versus small messages: People tend to fixate on the tiny words of a message rather than the overarching message; the bigger mission should guide interpretation.
Wisdom
Aging as a form of learning: Wisdom accrues with age, as discussed in the broader theme of learning to feel.
Goldberg’s brain-based explanation: As people age, they accumulate cognitive templates, making many future challenges solvable by applying preexisting templates or slight modifications.
Decision-making shifts toward pattern recognition rather than heavy problem-solving.
Aging can bring effortless insights and a sense of control, described as a “feast” rather than a struggle.
The phenomenon of instant, seemingly effortless solutions is framed as the stuff of sages—wisdom.
Left vs. right brain dynamics (as observed by Goldberg):
Left hemisphere: logical, sequential, rational thinking, pattern formation.
Right hemisphere: novelty, creativity, visualization, spatial and other intelligences.
With aging, reliance on learned templates (left-hemisphere processes) increases; this can become a disadvantage if it leads to resistance to novelty.
The wise approach: Truly wise people continually accommodate new experiences, generate new mental patterns, and create new insights as they age; they remain tolerant of the young and encourage daring exploration while offering sage guidance.
Takeaway: Aging contributes to learning to be when the mind remains open to new ideas, experiences, knowledge, and ways of thinking.
Way of the Spirit
Core idea: Amid many religious beliefs, spirituality is about universal human values that define our humanity and our shared dignity.
Buscagua’s synthesis (on Personhood): A practical articulation of spiritual messages across traditions to live fully as human beings.
Taoism: internal integration and harmony; unlearning what has been learned to re-enter harmony with all things; egotism is the root of disharmony and suffering; fully functioning persons have few desires and are unattached; self-transcendence is central to engaged living; the world is viewed in terms of undifferentiated wholeness.
Confucianism: not seeking a Taoist perfection but pursuing knowledge to strengthen mind and will; growth in self-respect, magnanimity, good faith, loyalty, diligence, and beneficence; the follower is gentle, calm, austere, and respectful, while also nurturing relationships; true union with others requires love.
Buddhism: life as dynamic becoming; impermanence of all things; attachment to impermanence leads to suffering; practice through the Eightfold Path: ext{Eightfold Path} = igl{ ext{Right View}, ext{Right Intention}, ext{Right Speech}, ext{Right Action}, ext{Right Livelihood}, ext{Right Effort}, ext{Right Mindfulness}, ext{Right Concentration} \bigr}
Right living on the Middle Path leads to self-transcendence through ethical conduct.
Hinduism: humanity’s center is truth, goodness, and righteousness; life’s sensory nature is transitory; one may pursue contemplation or selfless action; compassion for all; freedom from attachment; childlike faith; cultivate inherent virtues and a noble soul.
Islam: three messages of the Koran—doctrinal, metaphysical, and life-orientation/meaning; virtues include almsgiving, hospitality, kindness, respect, and community; belief in a single God; the humanness of persons striving to be one with God and the world.
Judaism: humans are created in the image and likeness of God; inherent goodness despite temptations; ethical code includes loving God, keeping the Sabbath holy, honoring parents, avoiding anger, covetousness, theft, and false witnesses; life should be lived actively, joyfully, and fully; emphasis on life-giving and love-giving.
Practical spirituality: beyond doctrinal differences, commit to service of family, community, country, humanity, and universal values such as truth, justice, equality, harmony, fairness, compassion, peace, and love; humanity is moving toward greater enlightenment and responsibility toward the world, environment, the poor, the sick, the disabled, and the disenfranchised.
Will to Live
Definition: A vivid vision of the self in the future and a lofty purpose that guides ongoing growth.
The will to live as ongoing self-assessment: regularly evaluate life to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
Life Review Mapping Exercise (Life Reflection):
Purpose: map past highs and lows from very high to very low, then examine the causes and consequences.
Process: sweep through years one by one; identify very high, high, so-so, low, very low points; juxtapose events across these points; explore patterns and lessons.
Guiding questions:
a) What preceded or succeeded the high and low points? Could I have foreseen them? Could I have amplified highs or softened lows? Do these points reveal core aspects of myself?
b) Is there a pattern to highs and lows? Is life a general upward trend with occasional dips, or is there deterioration over time?
c) What major lessons did I learn from major events? Do these lessons align with my current values?
d) How can I use lessons from past and present to create a brighter, more dazzling future?
Separate Life Mapping Exercise (five life attributes):
Separate and chart highs and lows for physical, emotional, mental, financial, and spiritual domains to see whether peaks/troughs align across domains.
Life Projection Exercise: End-point visualization and backward planning
After reviewing the past and present, project life to the very end point; describe yourself from the perspective of others (spouse, children, friends, colleagues, neighbors).
Define amazing feats you would have achieved and the intervening events required to reach that end; chart these intervening points from now to the end to build a backward map (Life Projection Map).
Who Am I? (Identity and life purpose)
Reflect on core questions: Who am I? What do I really want from life? What is my life vision? What is my life purpose? What talents must I develop? What skills must I have? What attitude must I take? What zeal and energy must I apply? Who do I relate to more and more?
Practice: Journal quarterly or semesterly to track alignment with your life projection and observe how perceptions of the past may change over time.
Life Review Mapping Exercise (Summary format)
Purpose: a structured reflective exercise to map the arc of one’s life from past to present with emphasis on highs, lows, and learning.
Scales and visuals: Uses a spectrum (Extremely High → High → So-so → Low → Extremely Low) across a timeline (years up to 20 or more, labelled as Now).
Companion exercise: Life Projection Map to plan the future path from Now to End of Life, then work backward to identify key milestones.
Life Projection Exercise (Summary format)
Purpose: project life toward an imagined end point and work backward to identify necessary milestones and events.
Focus questions at the end point: What would your spouse, children, friends, officemates, and neighbors say about you? What amazing feats would you have achieved? What transpires between now and then to make the end point a happy, fulfilled one?
Process: define end point; list intervening milestones; create a backward chart from End of Life to Now to guide current actions.
Who Am I? (Identity and Life Vision)
After completing the three maps, answer core questions:
Who am I?
What do I really want from life?
What is my life vision and purpose?
What talents must I develop to attain my vision and mission?
What skills must I have?
What attitude must I take?
What zeal and energy must I apply to realize my dreams?
Whom do I relate to more and more?
Practice: Keep a quarterly or semester journal recording these answers and review them to assess progress toward the life projection and adjust as needed.
References (Selected)
Agor, Weston H. The Logic of Intuitive Decision Making: A Research-Based Approach for Top Management. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, Inc., 1986.
Agor, Weston H., Ed. Intuition in Organizations: Leading and Managing Productively. Sage Publications, 1989.
Albrecht, Karl. Brain Power. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1987.
Baker, Sunny and Kim Baker. Project Management. Alpha Books, 1997.
Boldt, Laurence G. Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design. New York: Penguin Group, 1999.
Buscaglia, Leo F. Personhood, The Art of Being Fully Human. The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1978. (Note: as spelled in the text, Buscagua is used; cross-check with standard bibliographic spelling.)
Buzan, Tony. The Mind Map Book. BBC Book, 1995.
Canterucci, Jim. Personal Brilliance. American Management Association, 2005.
De Bono, Eduardo. Serious Creativity. Harper Collins Publisher, 1993.
Evans, Roger and Peter Russell. The Creative Manager. Unwin Hyman Ltd., 1989.
Frantz, Roger and Alex N. Pattakos, eds. Intuition at Work. Sterling and Stone, Inc., 1988.
Gardner, Howard. Intelligence Reframed. Basic Books, 1999.
The Unschooled Mind. Basic Books, 1999.
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