17 June 2010
Successful Intentions Newsletter
Hi ,
What do you need in order to thrive post-GFC?
It's not just about skills or competencies anymore. Now it's about what you think, and what you care about. The fate of our planet depends on it. Here are five forms of thinking for the future from Howard Gardner of MI (Multiple Intelligences) fame:
Disciplined Mind
Mastery of a body of knowledge demonstrates the capacity to think long and deeply. You can't fake it till you make it. And it takes years of practice. What's your profession, craft or discipline? Are you applying yourself diligently, improving beyond formal education?
Synthesizing Mind
We live in a deluge of information but a drought of understanding. The future belongs to those who can extract crucial bits of information and combine them in new ways that are both meaningful and helpful. But you need to know what you're looking for. Integration is more than just "lumping" ideas together.
Creating Mind
Thinking outside the box goes beyond existing knowledge and synthesis to ask new questions and offer new solutions. Creativity is both destructive (of the old paradigm) and regenerative (of a new form of thinking). However, creating something new depends on a solid foundation of knowledge. Imitation is not the same as innovation.
Respectful Mind
We can't contain the world to our own backyard anymore. The genie is out of the bottle. The best we can do is exercise tolerance. Working effectively with others demands sympathetic understanding of differences. Planetary survival now depends on your compassion and your capacity for forgiveness.
Ethical Mind
Upholding core values is increasingly important in times of rapid and unpredictable change. What do you stand for? What are you prepared to risk for what you truly believe will benefit the common good? Stewardship and citizenship are old concepts making a comeback in a world devoid of moral boundaries.
Wisdom is your ability to cultivate these five minds and activate them when and where they are needed. If you can do that, your future - and ours - is in your hands! Find out how to cultivate wisdom here.
, what do you think? Have your say on my "Wisdom Circle" blog for musings, research, and applications of practical wisdom!
Keep your intentions clear,
Peter Webb
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