Philosopher Tom Morris on Tough Economic Times

His colleagues couldn’t believe what Tom Morris was going to do.

He was an academic superstar. After receiving his Ph.D. from Yale, Tom was now a tenured full professor in the University of Notre Dame’s Philosophy Department. His academic publishing was astounding, including numerous books published by the prestigious Oxford University Press, as well as Cornell University Press and Notre Dame Press, among others.

Moreover, as a teacher, Tom’s classes were among the most popular on campus. With his energetic, funny style, including tossing candy bars into the audience to reward correct answers, Tom was renowned for getting even Notre Dame’s football players charged up about Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Yet Tom taught the meaning of life: to discover your talents, develop those talents, and deploy them into the world to help others. And Tom had discovered a new talent of his own: speaking to large, general audiences. He decided to leave his safe and successful professor’s job to launch into the hurly burly life of a national speaker and author for the general public. His first mainstream book, True Success, in which he developed his renowned Seven C’s of Success, was quickly followed by If Aristotle Ran General Motors, Philosophy for Dummies, The Stoic Art of Living and many others.

Tom’s speaking career took off. I first had the thrill of hearing him back in 1994 when he spoke to a business group I belong to, and I became one of his many fans. Tom reciprocated and once spoke at Levenger, when he was in town giving a talk for a big industry conference.

In a sea of self-help gurus, Tom stands out. He has a rare talent for understanding the best thinkers of the past, making it easy for all of us to grasp their most profound messages and apply these perspectives to our own lives.

And so it is understandable that his speaker’s bureau would look to Tom during these tough times to write a message to all their clients. The Washington Speakers Bureau represents such diverse talent as Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Anderson Cooper, Tom Peters and John Cleese. The bureau’s management asked Tom to write something short and powerful that they could send to their clients to be of assistance during these challenging times. Tom did so, and his message went out on May 9th.

I asked Tom if we could send out the same message to the Levenger community, many of whom are also dealing with tough changes in their work and in their lives. Tom said yes, by all means.

He added: “I’m huge fan of Levenger, as well as being a long-time customer. And, over the years, I’ve been very impressed to learn that the Levenger family includes many of the most creative and accomplished people in America. I would love to help bring this group of amazing people some of the most penetrating wisdom we have about powerful adaptation and what it takes to master the art of change. And I’d love to hear from them what they think.”

- Steve

Adaptation
Mastering the Art of Change

by Tom Morris

We’re living now in a period of widespread, unsettling change and growing economic uncertainty. Every day seems to bring with it a new cause for anxiety. It’s easy to worry about the future. But the great philosophers of the past have recommended something very different from that reaction: the positive response of creative adaptation.
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A situation becomes favorable only when we adapt to it.
The I Ching
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One of the primary sources of power in life is the skill of adaptation. It’s also one of the most important contributors to long-term success. As someone who has studied for decades the wisdom of the ages on all aspects of personal achievement, I’ve come to understand something very important. Our ability to flex appropriately with changing circumstances, and our knack for transforming our circumstances in accordance with our own highest aspirations, are two distinct sides of adaptation. And they are both absolutely necessary for attaining business and personal excellence in times of change.

The good news is that there is an art of change that will give us the crucial inner keys for masterful adaptation. A consistent practice of this art can generate amazing results.
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What in the whole universe is more natural than change?
Marcus Aurelius
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The art of change, as understood by its masters, consists of three component arts:

(1)    The art of self-control
(2)    The art of positive action
(3)    The art of achievement

Each of these component arts has a few simple rules that can be derived from the deepest practical wisdom of the great thinkers. Let’s take just a minute to consider them.

The art of self-control has three basic requirements:

1.    Don’t rush to judgment. Many ancient philosophers believed that nothing is as good as it seems or as bad as it seems, so we should all just calm down. Complex situations are hardly ever what they initially appear to be. And in turbulent times, the well-known category, “A Blessing in Disguise” may have a lot of potential applications. When we stop ourselves from rushing to judgment about new developments, we empower ourselves to deal with them as they really are.
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Things often love to conceal their true nature.
Heraclitus
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2.    Value the right things. We tend to value comfort and security a bit too highly in our culture. Growth and learning are also crucial for a good life. If we value the right things to the right degree, we are more open to the positive adventures that even initially difficult change can bring into our lives.
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Only in growth, reform, and change,
paradoxically enough, is true security to be found.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
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3.    Use your imagination well. In economically unpredictable times, our imaginations can easily run wild, projecting worst-case scenarios, and taking our emotions to places we don’t need to go. The only reliable cure for negative imagination is positive imagination. When we use our minds to project desirable scenarios, we actually strengthen our ability to make those things happen.
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You can’t depend on your judgment
when your imagination is out of focus.
Mark Twain
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The art of positive action also has three fundamental requirements:

1.    Govern your attitudes. Negative attitudes can sneak up on us and hold us back. The good news about attitude is that it’s ultimately within our control. We can choose to consider the positive possibilities of a situation, or to forgive a person who may have tripped us up. We can also take measures – such as daily walking, jogging, or meditation – that can indirectly but almost magically transform our attitudes. Good attitudes can lead to great outcomes.
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With our thoughts, we make the world.
The Buddha
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2.    Look for opportunities. The churn of change always creates new opportunities. The most successful people actively look for emerging opportunities in times of change, and so are among the first to take advantage of possibilities that didn’t previously exist. In every challenging era, some people grow and benefit. By always searching for new opportunities, we can be among those people.
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Know your opportunity.
Pittacus
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3.    Take the initiative. In uncertain times, people hunker down, hoping the storms will pass. A common trait of high achievers is a very different tendency to take action. By being action-oriented, we can make the most of new opportunities, which are often fleeting and must be seized quickly. Leaders always show initiative. In situations of rapid change, it’s up to each of us to do so.
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In the arena of human life, the honors and rewards
fall to those who show their good qualities in action.
Aristotle
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Finally, the art of achievement requires that we focus our energies toward favorable outcomes by living in accordance with seven universal conditions for positive achievement. In times of change, we need to use “The 7 Cs of Success” constantly and relentlessly, as individuals and as teams. We need:

C1: A clear CONCEPTION of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.
Goal setting is often tough in the whirl of rapidly altering events, but it’s always important. A disciplined use of our intellects and imaginations to envision new targets adapted appropriately to the vicissitudes of our day will enable us to move forward productively as great problem solvers and creative examples to others.

C2: A strong CONFIDENCE that we can attain our goal.
In situations of tremendous change, the first thing most people lose is their inner sense of confidence. Confidence is an attitude and, as such, is within our control. We can boost it by how we think, talk, and act. And we owe it to ourselves, as well as to those around us, to do exactly this, since confidence is contagious and can drive success in surprising ways.

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Fortune favors the brave.
Terence
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C3: A focused CONCENTRATION on what it takes to reach the goal.
We need to focus and refocus ourselves in times of upheaval, and concentrate our thought and energy on what’s required each day for the outcomes we seek.

C4: A stubborn CONSISTENCY in pursuing our vision.
Consistency doesn’t mean doing things the way we’ve always done them, but keeping our actions in line with our highest goals and deepest values. The most powerful adaptation requires this kind of consistency as we adjust to new realities.

C5: An emotional COMMITMENT to the importance of what we’re doing.
Passion fuels excellence. Without an emotional commitment to our work, and to the people around us, we can easily find that unexpected change saps our strength. A commitment of the heart energizes us all to do great things in new ways.
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It is always the adventurers who accomplish great things.
Montesquieu
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C6: A good CHARACTER to guide us and keep us on a proper course.
Change often calls for compromise, but never for a compromise of character. The stronger your character is, the better you’ll weather any storm. Integrity matters.

C7: A CAPACITY TO ENJOY the process along the way.
If we can laugh at the absurdities life often throws at us, and find aspects of our work to enjoy during even trying times, we can achieve creative, lasting results.

By practicing the overall art of change each day – following the simple requirements of self-control, positive action, and ongoing achievement – we can position ourselves to make the most of any change that comes our way. We can be masters of adaptation.
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Man has unrivalled powers of self-adaptation.
Charles Kingsley
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The wisdom of the past can guide us reliably into the future. If we use it every day, we can best live the adventures we’re here in this world to have, and we can attain forms of success that will sometimes surprise us even more than it bewilders our neighbors.

As Tom says, he’d love to hear what you think—as would I. Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you'll connect to Comments). And please share Tom’s message with anyone who may benefit from it.

Adaptation: Mastering the Art of Change © 2008 Tom Morris

Comments

[sarahsbooks]

A fine primer for steering yourself in the direction you most want to go, on many levels. Some of your Seven Cs remind me of parts of Buddhism's eightfold path. Which I respond to because of their emphasis on integrity, ethical conduct, and personal responsibility.

I enjoy your use of quotations from different eras. I do not enjoy your brief use of the buzzword "excellence" which makes me immediately think of fly-by-night business bestsellers. But, hey, it's only one word, and only my personal bias.

When I first started my own business, I made a little sign and put it somewhere I could easily read it: "If at first you don't succeed, redefine success." I've lived by that motto, among others, and it's helped me remain optimistic and flexible.

[Alan Kent]

Tom (and Steve):

A wonderful message for turbulent times. I also had the opportunity to hear you several years ago at a hospital association meeting (and acquire "If Aristotle...) I've shared it with many and seeing this tonight inspires me to dust it off and re-read it, and motivates me undoubtedly to share it again! Thanks for your writing.

[Mary Sloan]

Thank you for this. It provides wonderful insight. I am printing it out to keep and plan to share it with others too. So many times we just hear and see shallow views of life from those who have not studied history, read much or reflected. It is good to know that there are those who are not of that school of thought and who do use history, philosophy and reason to grasp some understanding of the things that count. It is so easy to let the urgent push out the important in the rush of events. Again, thanks.

[Janet A. Fink]

I have sectioned and posted your comments all around my office cubicle to remind me of the ways that I and my co-workers can better our lives and improve our outlooks.
We who serve in the public interest need to be acquainted with ways to expand our thought pardigms to improve ourselves and to improve the way we can serve others. Thank you for sharing this bit of your and the ancients philosophy.

[Al Simon]

Thank you for the wakeup call. There is so much truth in Mastering the Art of Change as you outlined it. My father, who never attended college, practiced these principles throughout his life especially the art of self control. He was my model as a youngster growing up and taught me to handle my self accordingly. It is funny how over the years, one tends to forget the lessons from the early years. I will share this as well as post it around my office.
Thank you Tom, Thank you Dad!

[Chip Dietrich]

You mention Levenger's "creative" people. Two books that I have just read pertain to this 20 % of the population: Richard Florida's The Rise of the Creative Class and The Recline of the Creative Class. Along with these Jared Diamond'S Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is remarkedly candid on the need for adaptation to change.

[Susanna Ruiz]

Thank you! This is what I will use to guide me during this time of uncertainty. I truly believe that you must adapt to the world around you if you are to survive. I am going to save this as a constant reminder and share it with my friends and family.

[Tom Morris]

I want to thank all of you who are already posting comments here, and encourage any new readers that we are coming back regularly to look at your responses and ponder your comments with appreciation for anything you write.

One commentator remarks on my brief use of the term 'excellence' which, as he rightly indicates, has become a nearly empty buzzword in some business writing these days, but which has a history of - dare I say it? - excellence predating current management mavens and motivators by some centuries. And some contemporary pundits use it well. Yet we still need to work to reclaim for it its proper Aristotelian heritage!

I'm really glad to see that readers are already printing out this little essay, posting it where they can review it, and sharing it with friends. Let me encourage you to pass it around as broadly as you'd like. As the first century Roman lawyer and wise stoic philosopher Seneca once said, "The best ideas belong to us all!"

Oh, and please let me invite you to visit my website for other free access short essays on things of interest to us as we live our daily lives:

www.MorrisInstitute.com

In the coming weeks, we'll adding new essays and posting short videos and audio clips as well.

Now, I need to go use one of my beautiful Levenger fountain pens and write Steve a note to thank him for posting my essay with such a nice introduction!

Tom Morris

[Curtisse]

Thank you so much for your wisdom, it really made my day. My favorite has always been that "motivational" poster that says "change is just a bend in the road, unless you fail to make the curve" (or something like that). It showed a fancy sport car about to go flying straight off the road where the road makes a hard turn to the left. I try to remember to stay on the road, change, and survive. :-]

[K A Nafees]

Thanks