The doctor tells Homer Simpson he has a rare disease and is going to die -- in a week! Homer resolves to live every moment he has left with gusto. On his last night he stays up to see the dawn while listening to Larry King read the Bible on tape. But he doesn't die and the doctor says it was all a big mistake!
As the credits rolls we see Homer on the couch eating pork rinds and drinking Duff while staring blankly at Celebrity Wive's Makeover Smack Down. Homer is a hot mess and can't seem to change.
Just before the holidays someone posted a classic question on a training and development group discussion page on LinkedIn -- 'What book has changed YOUR life?' Generally, I've been amazed at how worthless these discussion pages are. They almost always attract vapid comments about how smart the author is and why you should hire them.
But this one was different.
First of all, there were more than a hundred posts -- more than I've ever seen. Second, they were quite thoughtful and unselfconscious. The posts listed the Bible and The Power of Positive Thinking; Dale Carnegie and Anthony Robbins; Seven Habits... and 'The Fifth Discipline...'. I particularly loved an impassioned post that praised the transformative power of the Qur'an at great length and eloquence; and then, said, 'And I also liked the One Minute Manager.
Amid all the 'Best of' lists and reflections on the year as it flickers out, the 'Book' question is a pretty standard one. But it highlights a question that has burned in me for years and I hope will yield meaningful action in the new year -- How do we remake ourselves to do what needs to be done in a changing world?
I'm excited to find out! But for now, back to the couch.
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