As soon as I got the Amazon Kindle paperwhite, I bought a book named How Will You Measure Your Life?, written by Clayton M. Christensen, an HBS professor, James Allworth and Karen Dillon.
This is very important work, I think. I hope it can help me choose how to work and live. Exactly, it has changed me some.
First, the authors ask three questions:
- I will be successful and happy in my career?
- My relationships with my spouse, my children, and my extended family and close friends become an enduring source of happiness?
- I live a life of integrity -- and stay out of jail?
Those questions look simple, but it requires hard work if you work through them.
They say
People often think that the best way to predict the future is by collecting as much data as possible before making a decision. But this is like driving a car looking only at the rearview mirror -- because data is only available about the past.
They make an example of human flight for explaining the concept.
According to those questions above, Clayton, James and Karen explained how to use the theories on your career and your family life.
They reviewed Frederick Herzberg's theory. Two different factors affect the job satisfaction: hygiene -- status, compensation, job security, work condition, company policies, supervisory practices; motivator -- challenging work, recognition, responsibility and personal growth. Bad hygiene causes dissatisfaction. You have to address and fix bad hygiene to ensure that you are not dissatisfied in your work. Improving bad hygiene does not mean you will love it at once. At best, you just don't hate it anymore. It's important to address good hygiene factors. But these alone won't make you love your job, but just stop you from hating it. Motivation is much less about external prodding or stimulation, and much more about what's inside of you, and inside of your work.
They talk how to raise children, how to go along with your family and how to stay out of jail.
The Kindle edition is available.