"This is possibly the most important book you will ever read."
Feedback from one of Michael Ray's students
A book about how to find your highest purpose in life.
Named by a magazine Fast Company The most creative man in Silicon Valley, Michael Ray developed and taught Stanford's famous "Creativity in Business" course for 25 years.
From its inception, Ray's course began to have a very profound effect on the graduates. There was a feeling that they had access to some secret source of energy and inspiration. Ray concluded that his classes helped students find their "higher purpose" - the power that gives real meaning to your life, which speaks to your deepest being.
In this book, through practical exercises, stories, and advice, Michael will help you findyour the highest goal.
From the foreword by Jim Collins
On a warm September evening in 1982, I studied my class schedule at the start of my sophomore year at Stanford's MBA. In addition to production strategy and corporate finance, I had a course simply called Creativity in Business. “This is an oxymoron (a combination of incongruous),” flashed through my head. I added this course at the very end to balance the overly dry analytical subjects.
At 3:20 p.m., I leisurely entered the seminar room, found an empty seat, and waited for class to begin. As faculty members Michael Ray and Rachel Myers began to speak, classmates and I chatted among ourselves, telling each other about our summer jobs and class schedules. Nothing happened, so we chatted some more. Still nothing happened. We eventually noticed that Michael and Rachel were sitting in front of us, waiting for something. Noise gradually subsided, as each group of chatting students took turns noticing the teachers, who patiently waited for us to pay attention to them.
Finally, Rachel Myers—she was no more than five feet tall, in a long flowing robe, with a large silver medallion on her chest—stood up and said in a barely audible voice, almost in a whisper, “Today you are going on a ten-week journey in search of your inner self.”
I immediately began flipping through the course catalog looking for a replacement. My search was interrupted by Michael Ray, who offered us a meditation exercise. “Slowly take a deep breath,” Michael said. Feel the energy in your right toes. Feel how it moves through your leg. Focus on your right leg. Don't do anything, just feel your right leg...” It suddenly seemed to me that I had made a very gross mistake.
That evening I told my wife Joanna that I had a great class schedule, "except for this course I'm about to quit." I told her about Rachel and her flowing robes and about Michael, who reminded me of Yogi Bear in a wrinkled professorial suit (only later I found out that he really is a yogi, that is, a spiritual guide), leading meditation classes with us. I majored in applied mathematics in college and worked at the McKinsey Institute. I had (and still do) a passionate love for data-driven analysis and research.
Joanna listened and then simply said, “I think the Michael Ray course will really help you. Why don't you stay and see what happens?"
And it turned out this: I would not be where I am today, having lived the wonderful life given to me, if not for this course. And I'm not alone in this. Not a single year goes by that I don't stumble upon other graduates who feel the same way as I do and who are grateful to have taken this course early in their lives. Little did we know at the time that that experience would be the first step on a life-long journey toward the subject of this book: identifying and achieving our highest goal with courage and perseverance.
Expand description Collapse DescriptionWhat is this book about
"This is possibly the most important book you will ever read."
Feedback from one of Michael Ray's students
A book about how to find your highest purpose in life.
Named the most creative person in Silicon Valley by FastCompany magazine, Michael Ray developed and taught Stanford's acclaimed "Creativity in Business" course for 25 years.
From its inception, Ray's course began to have a very profound effect on the graduates. There was a feeling that they had access to some secret source of energy and inspiration. Ray concluded that his classes helped students find their "higher purpose" - the power that gives real meaning to your life, that speaks to your deepest being.
In this book, through practical exercises, stories, and advice, Michael will help you find your higher purpose.
From the foreword by Jim Collins
At 3:20 p.m., I leisurely entered the seminar room, found an empty seat, and waited for class to begin. As faculty members Michael Ray and Rachel Myers began to speak, classmates and I chatted among ourselves, telling each other about our summer jobs and class schedules. Nothing happened, so we chatted some more. Still nothing happened. We eventually noticed that Michael and Rachel were sitting in front of us, waiting for something. Noise gradually
subsided, as each group of chatting students took turns noticing the teachers, who patiently waited for us to pay attention to them.
Finally, Rachel Myers - she was no more than five feet tall, in a long flowing robe, with a large silver medallion on her chest - stood up and said in a barely audible voice, almost in a whisper: "Today you are going on a ten-week journey in search of your inner being."
I immediately began flipping through the course catalog looking for a replacement. My search was interrupted by Michael Ray, who offered us a meditation exercise. "Slowly take a deep breath," Michael said. "Feel the energy in the toes of your right foot. Feel it move through your foot. Focus on your right foot. Don't do anything, just feel your right foot..." It suddenly seemed to me that I made a very grave mistake.
That evening I told my wife Joanna that I had a great class schedule, "except for this course I'm about to quit." I told her about Rachel and her flowing robes and about Michael, who reminded me of Yogi Bear in a wrinkled professorial suit (only later I found out that he really is a yogi, that is, a spiritual guide), leading meditation classes with us. I majored in applied mathematics in college and worked at the McKinsey Institute. I had (and still do) a passionate love for data-driven analysis and research.
Joanna listened and then simply said, "I think the Michael Ray course will really help you. Why don't you stay and see what happens?"
And it turned out this: I would not be where I am today, having lived the wonderful life given to me, if not for this course. And I'm not alone in this. Not a single year goes by that I don't stumble upon other graduates who feel the same way as I do and who are grateful to have taken this course early in their lives. Little did we know at the time that that experience would be the first step on a life-long journey toward the subject of this book: identifying and achieving our highest goal with courage and perseverance.
This is the secret of all people who live in creativity: it allows them to maintain inner balance and makes their life perfect and fulfilling.
We introduce listeners to people who have defined their highest goal. Among them are architects and artists, public figures and war heroes, academics, singers, composers and dancers, entrepreneurs and engineers, scientists, financiers, psychologists, politicians and monks. All of them achieved unprecedented success in their fields, made a name for themselves and made a fortune. Some founded new enterprises or had a huge impact on the development of American and world culture. Others have radically changed the way we work and are constantly in touch with our course participants.
At meetings within the framework of the Personal Creativity in Business course, they willingly talk about what helped them reach the top, describe the creative process and their experiences; talk about their work and what they see as the purpose of their existence.
Despite the crisis or the vicissitudes of love, they feel connected to something higher and realized - early in life or later - that this connection brings them closer to what they need. They are open to life and see it as an adventure. They are not stopped by media warnings, news of the approaching end of the world, obligations to family or friends, and even their own mental problems.
They view every life situation and their potential role in it from a higher perspective. Don't rush anywhere. Concentrate all their attention. And new opportunities open up for them. They depend on a kind of grace that descends upon them, on the creative energy from this source.
This is the secret that this book reveals: the highest goal is always waiting for you beyond the traditional definitions of success.
A fundamentally new model of success
When my colleagues at Stanford and I developed the creative course, we saw it as an adjunct to other business courses. If our students were able to unleash their creativity, this, we believed, would help them to use the analytical knowledge gained in the study of other disciplines.
But gradually it became clear to us that all business courses actually promoted a lifestyle expressed by the unspoken assumption that financial success and the benefits that come with it is the main goal of every person. The premise of our course is very different: we wanted students to recognize their inner wisdom and power, their connection to everything on earth—an entirely different kind of success. Without realizing it, we offered not so much a methodological program and new ways of doing business as a different perception of life.
Students who have unlocked their inner potential and defined their purpose for being have found that they can make a big difference in the world. Graduates later told us how they built their lives based on this premise, how they went to achieve the goal, using the knowledge gained through our course. Here are some examples.
Denise Brosso built a career based on the conclusions she made about herself during her studies. She realized that, in fact, she is an intermediary. Since co-founding the Women Entrepreneurs Foundation (WEF) shortly after graduating from Stanford in 1993, she has been a game changer in helping women entrepreneurs raise funds and build networking businesses. For example, the WFP conference alone generated $185 million in investment for 26 new businesses created by women.
Jeff Skoll, who took the course in 1995, believes that it was there that he learned to see his inner world. He made an impressive fortune on eBay, becoming one of the five richest people in the United States under the age of 40. He then founded the Skoll Foundation, "with the aim of providing investment to entrepreneurs, establishing connections between them and recognizing their merits."
Dominic Holder, Dean of the Sloan Program at the London Business School, has excelled in more than just business. He is also known as a teacher of Buddhism. In one of his recent books, Mindfulness and Money: The Buddhist Path of Abundance, he says that the course "opened the eyes of many students to spirituality in business."
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ISBN: 978-5-91657-961-1
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Business Book Description:
Named the most creative person in Silicon Valley by Fast Company magazine, Michael Ray developed and taught Stanford's acclaimed "Creativity in Business" course for 25 years.
From the very beginning, Ray's course began to have a very strong effect on the graduates. It seemed that they had access to some secret source of energy and inspiration. Ray concluded that his classes helped students find their "higher purpose" - the power that gives real meaning to your life, that speaks to your deepest being.
Through this book, through practical exercises, stories and advice, Michael will help you find your higher purpose.
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"This is probably the most important book you will ever read"
One of Michael Ray's students
You achieve something, conquer certain peaks, looking back with a sense of pride. Victory screams with happiness under your feet. Here it is - the dream, the goal of your whole life. Now you can die in peace. But how long will this continue? Perhaps tomorrow you will think "It was such a trifle" or "Why did I do this." What's the catch? Why do dreams turn into shameful mistakes, and ideals into caricatures? Perhaps it was an ordinary desire, in its prosaic nature too reminiscent of some kind of mediocrity? It was not the highest goal of your life at all. Forget about her forever. Find a higher goal, define it. Understand what it is worth living for, in the name of what every moment lasts. The answer to questions about the search for the main goal of one's life is given by an outstanding scientific psychologist and author of several bestsellers - Michael Ray. His book is called The Highest Goal. The secret that keeps you going every minute."
About the book “The Highest Goal. The secret that keeps you going every minute”
It tells how to find that very elusive, sometimes illusory, higher goal, the mission of your whole life. The author of the book, named by Fast Company magazine as one of the most creative people on earth, will have a very profound effect on you. It will help you find your higher purpose, find that secret source of inspiration through which you will find answers to all important questions. In the book you will find effective exercises, stories and simple life advice by Michael Ray. The latter will boldly lead you along the path to the highest goal.
What do you need to take with you on this trail? Author of the book "The Highest Goal. The Secret That Keeps You Up Every Minute” provides some necessary guidance. First, you must choose your life path. There are two options here. You can listen to those around you and start drawing your dream. It will turn out a pretty, but completely ordinary picture. Or you choose the second way. What does he look like? As follows: you put a completely blank canvas, pick up a brush and paint a picture that reflects yourself. It may not please everyone, but its creator will be in unsurpassed delight. This picture is your highest goal. Second, understand the role of anxiety in life.
Try to spend half an hour every day on excitement. Worry, worry. Reasons are in themselves, because there are no absolutely careless people. The rest of the time, try not to let experiences into your own consciousness and you will see how real life is without worries. Thirdly, let's rest your head, meditate.
Throw absolutely all thoughts out of your head, do not think about anything. This practice will help you find your own harmony and understanding of what is happening around. In addition, learn to live in your own, incomprehensible time. Sounds weird? And you try! Forget about time for one day, don't look at the clock. Listen to your clock, try to live and work in the way that suits you in the time continuum. Of course, it will seem difficult, especially being in the workplace, but believe me, you will learn a lot. Take action, achieve the highest goals and read Michael Ray's masterpiece book. You will definitely find out what it is - the highest goal, dream and achievement of your whole life.
The author of The Highest Purpose writes easily and clearly. He gives extremely clear instructions, exercises and practices. This is a kind of manual, more precisely, something higher than it. After all, the theories you mentioned are not axioms. Find your way, your unique method, your path. The reader will want to learn more and more, to look for missing pages. That's what this book is about - your search, research, and goals.
