The following are a collection miscellaneous thought tools. The first is the Buddhist principle of moderation or “The Middle Way”.
Buddha taught to avoid being caught or entangled in any extreme. He taught non-duality; “Be not elated by success nor depressed by failure”. The middle way is accomplished through the “Eight Fold Path”
Buddha taught that the wise man learns to meet the changing circumstances of life with an equitable spirit, being neither elated by success nor depressed by failure. Thus one realizes the truth of non-duality.
The Dalai Lama defines the middle way like this in “The Art of Happiness”.
True happiness is stable and persistent despite life’s ups and downs and normal fluctuations of mood, as part of the very matrix of our being.
The eight fold path is subdivided into three different sections as follows:
Wisdom
- Right understanding – know that all is not right; identify what is wrong and replace it with what is right.
We are responsible for our own destiny; only we can change the way we are! We cannot change circumstances or people, but we can change our reactions to them. Holding a right view will lead us to right action and to a true liberation.
- Right resolve or intention – the honest decision to do something to improve oneself.
It is your commitment to your commitment.
Morality
- Right speech – the elimination of idle chatter, gossip and backbiting; harsh speech and lying.
This is simply living the golden rule that if you don’t have something nice to say or can not be constructive and compassionate when engaging in difficult communications, please refrain from communicating at all for the time being.
- Right action – acting with honesty, compassion and humility.
Be a lovecat in action with everything you say and do; always be helping others to grow and succeed.
- Right livelihood – one that helps you develop your unique potential and the understanding of those around you.
You can not separate your work life from your spiritual life. Only you can determine what this means to you.
- Right effort – the development of insight and will power; the discipline to change.
Right effort is embodied in Jim Collin’s “Rinse your Cottage Cheese” metaphor (See Good to Great). It is your personal discipline.
Meditation
- Right mindfulness – learning to be constantly and acutely aware of your thoughts, words and actions.
This requires constant vigilance and mind control. You are not responsible for the negative thoughts and emotions that pop into your head moment to moment. You are responsible if you allocate your current mental resources to focus on these negative thoughts and emotions as opposed to replacing them with positive thoughts and emotions.
- Right meditation – routinely taking the time to enjoy nature and calm your mind to the point that you are thinking about nothing at all.
This is part of the rest and renewal process necessary to achieve enlightenment. This is one of the biggest differences between eastern and western cultures. Sometimes doing nothing is the most productive thing we can do.
The eight fold path can also be organized with the perfect thought, perfect word and perfect deed structure as follows:
Perfect Thought
Right understanding
Right resolve
Right mindfulness
Perfect Word
Right speech
Perfect Deed
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right meditation
The disciplined observance of the eightfold path will lead to “the middle way” which is the key to successfully executing the intangible elements of enlightenment which are moderation, contemplation, and renewal.
The eightfold path within itself adequately addresses moderation and contemplation. It addresses renewal through meditation which is a critical element of renewal.
However, in our modern times, renewal is about more that it was in Buddha’s days. In out modern culture, we have to add proper diet and exercise into our daily routines in order to maintain ourselves as elite corporate athletes. This is Covey’s seventh habit of “sharpening the saw”. I would also refer you to the “The Power of Full Engagement” by Dr. Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.
The most passionate voice for the value of celebration in business is Jack Welch. He discusses this tool in depth in both his books “Straight from the Gut” and “Winning”. Properly executed this team building exercise does not violate the concept of the middle way.
How do you practice moderation, contemplation, celebration & renewal? We would love to hear from you!
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