It seems as though the best "self-help" books (those filled with advice) are the ones that give very basic, reasonable principles. After I read the book, I find myself saying, "That seemed really obvious, but I had never thought of it like that before." How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen is no exception. It is filled with stuff like this...
Behind the facade of professional success, there were many who did not enjoy what they were doing for a living. There were, also, numerous stories of divorces or unhappy marriages. I remember one classmate who hadn't talked to his children in years, who was now living on the opposite coast from them. Another was on her third marriage since we'd graduated.
Periodically, as we were all considering our postgraduation plans, we'd try to keep ourselves honest, challenging each other: "What about doing something important, or something you really love? Isn't that why you came here?" "Don't worry," came back the answer. "This is just for a couple of years. I'll pay off my loans, get myself in a good financial position, then I'll go chase my real dreams."
When we bought our first house, I saw a place in the backyard that would be perfect for building a kids' playhouse. Matthew and Ann were the perfect ages for this kind of activity, and we threw our hearts into this project. We spent weeks selecting the lumber, picking the shingles for the house, working our way up through the platform, the sides, the roof. I'd get the nails most of the way in and let them deliver the finishing blows. ... When their friends came to play, the first thing my children would do was take them into the backyard and show them the progress. And when I came home, their first question was when could we get back to work.
But after it was finished, I rarely saw the children in it. The truth was that having the house wasn't what really motivated them. It was the building of it, and how they felt about their contribution, that they found satisfying. I had thought that the destination was what was important, but it turned out it was the journey.
You can talk all you want about having a strategy for your life, understanding motivation, and balancing aspirations with unanticipated opportunities. But ultimately, this means nothing if you do not align those with where you actually spend your time, money, and energy.
In other words, how you allocate your resources is where the rubber meets the road.
Real strategy--in companies and in our lives--is created through hundreds of everyday decisions about where we spend our resources. As you're living your life from day to day, how do you make sure you're heading in the right direction? Watch where your resources flow. If they're not supporting the strategy that you've decided upon, then your'e not implementing that strategy at all.
This is really a great book for everyone regardless of life experience (i.e., old people will find it just as useful as young folk). It's not a long book and will be well worth your time.
(Hardcover)
(Kindle Edition)
