I was trained as a designer. We often talk about the glass being half-full and the glass being half-empty—the optimist and the pessimist view of the world. That’s an analysis. I’m more interested in getting the right size glass.
The right size glass means to me is a design problem. It’s the big design problem. It’s the design of your life. I’m interested taking the time at each occasion to choose the right size glass.
Our society is largely based on learning one thing and doing it better, better and better, and that’s where most of the rewards and awards come from, but behind all of it is the individual’s decision to design, to structure, to make the road map to that kind of life. To design your life, to take control of the decisions you make. Your individual life independent of the crowd.
I hope you enjoy having a conversation with this book. A conversation that allows yourself to give other individuals permission to design an interesting life.
The word interesting is key to every day, because every day the most interesting thing is waking up in the morning. It’s the beginning of a day wherein I can find things that interest me—not necessarily at all or not focused on being happy or for monetary gain, or power or fame, but just interest fueled by curiosity.
Interest, curiosity, permission-giving for myself and for the others that I pal around with are the key words of having a well-run life, business or - in reverse - the business of your life.
When Carlos asked me to do this Foreword for him, as I often say, I was flattered into submission. In this case, I was honored into submission.
Carlos, I have known for a number of years. I first met this special observer in Venice, Italy on an exotic island located between the airport and the city and owned by the legendary Edward de Bono, where he had organized a day-and-a-half-long conversation among some extraordinarily well-heeled individuals, mostly from the major countries in Europe.
Since that meeting, I have had a number of conversations with him at my home and in his hometown and read the things he has written and kept track of the advice he has given to people who are highly competitive, at the leading edge of their specialty, whether it’s tennis or car racing - extreme individual performances- and this book is written to heighten your individual performance.
I’ve come to realize Carlos’ unique focus and his brilliant choice of advising a certain thread, a certain slice of the citizenry on their careers. This book has a focus on discovering that thread in people who are willing to bet themselves every day, as world-class athletes. There are also similar leaders and athletes in business. Well, that’s interesting to me as I believe in the clarity that each person crosses the street by themselves—that noticeable gains in their abilities come from the clarity of yourself.
There is no doubt that the modest charisma that is found in both his presence and in his writings are persuasive and understandable and that understanding always precedes action. This is not an academic tone or one of those business books with large dots that list the five things you have to do to succeed. This is a book that focuses much more on the human being rather than on the measured success of the trifecta of power, fame and money externally observed, but rather the internal feelings of achievement that ultimately each of us value more deeply.
This is a treatise about understanding. I think it’s a great read. I think he’s a fine man. I think he delivers a useful message.
I’d like most of all to sit next to him on a long plane ride.
Richard Saul Wurman - Founder, TED, TEDMED, e.g. and WWW Conferences
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