Getting It

An author’s obsessions include Amazon book rankings…and book reviews. We especially appreciate reviewers who clearly understand the subtleties of the overall message. I’ve never published a review of “Work” before, but this recent one by Bob Morris, who writes  for the Dallas Business Commentary Examiner, nails it. I also like that Bob points out the pragmatic […]

This Q&A will stand on its own, but you may want to read Part One first. -sc Q. Your systems mindset message seems to repeat itself. Are you a one-trick pony? A. I take that as a compliment if you are suggesting that I have a single, simple lesson to teach. Here’s the thing: The beauty of the systems mindset […]

People ask me the same questions over and over so it seems reasonable to answer them here, for the record. I’ll do this in two parts. Part Two is here. –sc Q. What is the Work the System method? A. Per a simple change in mindset, it’s a fast and logical way to get control of one’s life.  Life-control includes being […]

No matter how much your reach expands, there is always something just outside of its range that you long to be able to grasp. -Anonymous I’ve been reading Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). A “Behaviorist” psychologist, he is famous for his Hierarchy of Needs theory. The theory is pretty much explained by the illustration I show here. […]

In January, David Walsh and Seth Hosko visited for a couple of days in our home in Bend, Oregon. We taped some informal videos that are now posted on their website, Muselife (While there, be sure to subscribe. The site already has a large subscriber base and you might as well climb on board.)

It’s the time of year when we drop our defenses and say a simple thank you. And with the new year, it’s the perfect time to try a new life-approach if the current one hasn’t been working out so well. You’ve heard it before. Maybe a parent told you or you read about  it or otherwise recall rumors of it. You may have even seen an occasional glimpse of it. […]

Mother and daughter near the village of Skardu in remote NE Pakistan’s “Northern Areas.” Photo by Sam Carpenter. The systems mindset will cause you to take different actions. Instead of floundering through the day in fire-killing, you will spend your moments constructing the life you desire, step-by-step. It starts with the “get it” event that will happen spontaneously and […]

Everywhere in life, system mechanics all work the same. There’s a repeating, base cycle and upon that cycle creativity is unleashed. Music is my favorite illustration of a system. Rock, classical, smooth jazz, country…it doesn’t matter:  There is a recurring throbbing cycle and built on top of that cycle is the emotional lead guitar, piano solo or crazy-maker solo […]

From a systems/mechanical standpoint, consider these questions: Why is finding personal freedom and power so difficult? What is the most common reason for failing to get what one wants? Politics. How can one judge events from a non-ideological standpoint? What’s best, more government or less government?

The systems insight arrived because I was under enormous mental and physical pressure. Until that late-night revelation, my strategy was to approach life with a bulldog, damn-the-torpedoes, pound-the moles, I’m-so-damn-clever persona. It was a toxic brew of arrogance and ignorance—perhaps the most noxious combination of negative human traits. The seething chaos had reared up and […]