Personal Philosophies

In a prior life while doing the MBA thing, a fellow student and I engaged in a debate that quickly became adversarial. I was being defensive about some decisions that I had made and feeling sorry for myself over the outcome. My classmate was not one to let people off the hook and continued to challenge my reasoning. Our conversation ended when she said "Paul, do you think that things happen for a reason?" In irritated defiance, I instinctively said "no" to which she quickly replied "maybe you just haven't thought about it." After settling down, I reflected on her comment and damned if I didn't actually think about it. I used to interpret the expression "things happen for a reason" as deterministic and sermonic. It always struck me as judgmental and parochial - a "had it coming" of sorts. Upon further reflection, it occurred to me that it's also a personal philosophy. For my classmate, "things happen for a reason" was something that she lived by and it guided everything she did. She always looked for meaning and treated all setbacks as instructive. I developed a new perspective on my classmate after realizing how much this simple expression told me about her.

Since then, I've always looked for cues that reveal personal philosophies and shape how people see the world. A work colleague once commented "my body is a temple." For him this is both physical and spiritual -- he takes great care of himself. Another work colleague is fond of saying "keep it real." His life is a constant quest for authenticity. Nothing turns him off more than phoniness or pretension. A close friend once commented "everything has a place," an expression that encapsulates everything he does and reveals his inner thought process. He is meticulously organized, logical, and guided by unwavering common sense. I've mentioned in previous posts that I am a "student for life." What is your personal philosophy?