Definition of Philosophy

Existentialism Makes a Comeback

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These days, we all share a little more in common with Albert Camus and Franz Kafka than we may realize.

World events of the past decade have wrought considerable pain and discomfort on people the world over. There have been terrorist attacks, wars, financial turmoil, shootings, robberies, one natural disaster after another and outbreaks of disease.

No wonder we’re all a bit wracked. Philosophers call it an existential crisis.

From this calamity develops a sense of doubt; where the logic of our very existence is challenged. The pain we feel makes us wonder, “Why am I even here?” The existential crisis is a deep introspection of self-worth that is driven by a traumatic event or some other similar causal factor.Continue Reading

Originally posted on October 21, 2011 @ 2:31 am

Healthy Habits: Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits

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On my last post I discussed how having healthy habits will see us through to success during times when our motivation is at a low point. This time I will be discussing some healthy habits that we can form to help up succeed in the different aspects of our life.

Perhaps one of the most popular books ever written about habits is Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. There he elaborates on the 7 habits that he says effective people. According to Covey the 7 habits are:

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think Win/Win – teamwork
5. Seek first to understand – communication
6. Synergize – cooperation
7. Sharpening the saw – renewal or continued development of the 7 habits

As you see the first three deals with self-mastery (he calls it dependence to independence), which is something we all should strive for first. Without the first three it would be hard to follow through on all our tasks, which will of course affect our relations with other people as well as our jobs. Another thing you would notice is that Covey approaches the habits not with a list of tasks but with our mindset. I believe that we should develop specific tasks as our habit but he is very correct in putting emphasis on making sure that we have specific mindsets as a habit, after all our actions are determined by our thoughts. So to be able to develop habits like going to work on time or speaking more positively we need to develop the habit of choosing to be proactive, thinking of our end goals, knowing hoe to prioritize, and all the other things that Covey says we should develop.

Originally posted on April 20, 2010 @ 5:46 pm

Path to Success: Relying on Habits

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healthy habitsOn my last post I explained how motivation is needed in order for us to succeed but also the reason why we can not rely on motivation to see us through our journey. Motivation is unreliable because it is an emotion, and like all emotions, it comes and goes. When motivation subsides though what we are left with are our habits.

What we do when we don’t feel motivated is determined by our habits. Habits stay because they do not depend on emotion. We can do things without even really thinking about them if it is part of our habit. For example, if you’re just used to washing your face before going to sleep you probably don’t even realize that you’ll go straight to the bathroom to freshen even after a really tiring day before hitting the bed. If washing your face is not part of your routine though you will need to really exert more effort just to wash your face and maybe just decide not do it and prioritize your rest instead.

Now when it comes to achieving success we need to develop habits that will help set us up for success. We need to have our habits so deeply ingrained that when obstacles come we won’t have to split up our energy between overcoming those obstacles and just going about the daily activities that we need to do in order to function properly. Having good habits doesn’t mean having no troubles but it means that most of your reactions will be automatic and you won’t have added stress in your life.

In my next post I will elaborate more on habits that we need to form in order to have a better chance at success.

Originally posted on March 31, 2010 @ 7:57 am

Path to Success: Starting with Motivation

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We all want to be a success in life. It doesn’t matter whether success for you means a high-powered career, great relationships, finding yourself, achieving a particular dream, or getting a PhD. The truth though is that the path to success is filled with obstacles, so much so that many find themselves frustrated and unable to continue their journey in achieving success.

One of the things that is often pointed to for failure is lack of motivation. People tend to think that if they get motivated enough they will be able to face the biggest obstacles and find a way beat them down or go around them. There is truth to this matter. Without motivation people will just not even start something, especially if they know that it will be difficult. However, the problem with motivation is that it is a feeling. Of course there is a solid reason for that feeling but still, like any other emotion, it comes and goes. What this means is that when the emotion goes away or subsides a bit there is a huge tendency to lie back and just give in to inertia. We end up giving up when we don’t feel so motivated anymore and then start again but only when the motivation comes back.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that motivation is a bad thing. In fact we NEED motivation. We need to get fired up in order to start the path to success. However, my point is that motivation is unreliable and it is not enough. By all means pump yourself up and find reasons to motivate you but do not make the mistake of solely relying on motivation.

On my next post I will be discussing the thing that we can rely on even when the emotion subsides.

Originally posted on March 29, 2010 @ 5:56 pm