Mental Attitude: Success Is In The Blood
Keep your mind on the great and splendid thing you would like to do; and then, as the days go gliding by, you will find yourself unconsciously seizing the opportunities that are required for the fulfillment of your desire, just as the coral insect takes from the running tide the elements that it needs. There are men whom fate can never keep down they march forward in a jaunty manner, and take by divine right the best of everything that the earth affords. But their success is not attained by means of the Samuel Smiles-Connecticut policy. They do not lie in wait, nor scheme, nor fawn, nor seek to adapt their sails to catch the breeze of popular favor.
Good health! Whenever you go out of doors, draw the chin in, carry the crown of the head high, and fill the lungs to the utmost; drink in the sunshine; greet your friends with a smile, and put soul into every hand-clasp.
Do not fear being misunderstood; and never waste a moment thinking about your enemies. Try to fix firmly in your own mind what you would like to do, and then without violence of direction you will move straight to the goal.
Fear is the rock on which we split, and hate the shoal on which many a barque is stranded. When we become fearful, the judgment is as unreliable as the compass of a ship whose hold is full of iron ore; when we hate, we have unshipped the rudder; and if ever we stop to meditate on what the gossips say, we have allowed a hawser to foul the screw.
Picture in your mind the able, earnest, useful person you desire to be, and the thought that you hold is hourly transforming you into that particular individual you so admire.
About Good Life Seminars
The Seminar Experience
Under the skilled guidance of experienced moderators, seminarians convene each day to discuss short selections they have read carefully in advance. These discussions are lively, interactive exchanges. Participants share experiences, insights, and wisdom, and discuss how lessons learned from the past and from each other can help shape more satisfying futures. Seminarians watch films, read poetry and plays, and participate in exercises designed to help them create robust life plans. Time is also devoted to nurturing the creative side of life as participants interact with nature in the beautiful settings where the seminar is offered. Click here to see a brief video clip of a seminar conducted in Aspen.
Who Should Attend?
The seminar is designed for women and men who
* are in the midst of, or contemplating, a career or life transition
* are at a significant life turning point
* have recently experienced an unanticipated life or career change
* are not completely satisfied with the status quo and looking for a thoughtful process for considering change
* are interested in studying what the great minds from Aristotle to Shakespeare said about the essence of a life well-led, and reading what contemporary poets, philosophers, and psychologists say about finding meaning and happiness in a complex, modern world
What Past Participants Say About the Good Life Seminars Program
February 13th, 2009
“I am in my seventh decade, and I am thinking hard about the legacy I want to leave my children, my community and my country. Pursuing the Good Life was a wonderful opportunity for me to engage in conversations with people who are asking the question ‘What ARE the really important things for me to do to really make a difference in the world’”
— Sam Mizrahi
President and CEO, SwissJust America
Buenos Aires, Argentina
“I really appreciated the chance to spend a week with accomplished, thoughtful people, all of whom had rich life experiences, and who were thinking about how best to live their lives going forward. The readings were wonderful and the dialogues were rich—but above all, I enjoyed spending time with the incredible people.”
— Robin Reif
Senior Vice President, Jack Morton Worldwide
New York, NY
“Pursuing the Good Life gave me the opportunity to pause: guided by the wisdom of great thinkers I was able to reflect on my life to date, and think about those things that really matter in the company of a spirited group of like minded people. It was a refreshing time out, and a chance to recalibrate the life decisions I have made.”
— Helmut Meier
Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton
Duesseldorf, Germany
“Pursuing the Good Life provided me with the opportunity to meet with a group of bright, interesting, and thoughtful people. Each of us was trying to find a practical balance in our lives through our discussions of the challenging reading materials and the specially selected movies. The extraordinary participants in our session were accomplished people who were willing to share their feelings and talk about themselves. I left the seminar with new friends and a sense of well being—more comfortable about myself and more confident about what the future will bring.”
— Arthur Greenberg
Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman Machtinger and Kinsella LLP
Los Angeles, California
Good Life Seminars: The Experienced Corps of Seminar Moderators
February 6th, 2009
The Experienced Corps of Seminar Moderators Includes:
Sheena Paterson Berwick is a principal of Berwick Communications Inc., a corporate communication and leadership consulting practice. An award-winning journalist, Berwick has held senior publishing and editing management positions in magazines and newspapers in Canada and the U.S. She founded and was director of the Toronto Star’s Training and Staff Development Program. In her fifties, Berwick received a B.A. degree from UC Santa Barbara with highest honors and Distinction in English.
Keith Berwick is Executive Director of the Henry Crown Fellowship Program, an advanced leadership development program for high-achieving young business executives. He earned his Ph.D. degree in U.S. history at the University of Chicago, and has taught at UCLA, USC, and the Claremont Graduate School. Berwick is a four-time Emmy Award winning television broadcaster.
Grace Gabe, M.D. is a psychiatrist and former faculty member at Georgetown University and George Washington University Medical Schools. She is co-author of Step Wars: Making Peace in Adult Stepfamilies (St. Martins Press, 2004), and a dedicated violinist.
Ronald Gottesman taught American Literature at the University of Southern California from 1975 until 2001 when he retired to devote himself to spreading the news about Australian Aboriginal Art through the development of aboriginality.com—virtual gallery featuring paintings, prints and carvings. Author and editor of scores of books and articles, he has served as consultant to many publishers, foundations, civic groups, entertainment companies, and government agencies including the Walt Disney Company, the National Council on Aging, and National Public Radio.
Joan K. Peters is the author of When Mother’s Work: Loving Our Children Without Sacrificing Our Selves (Addison Wesley, 1997) and Not Your Mother’s Life: Changing the Rules of Work, Love, and Family (Perseus, 2001). She is a professor of English at California State University at Channel Islands.
Geraldine Van Doren holds a Ph.D. in English literature from The University of Chicago and has taught English and humanities at the University of Illinois and the University of Connecticut. For ten years a senior fellow at Mortimer Adler’s Institute for Philosophical Research, she was also an Aspen Institute moderator where she developed and moderated the initial version of the Good Life seminar.
Charles Van Doren has advanced degrees in both mathematics and English Literature. As vice president/editorial of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., he produced many references books, some alone or in collaboration with Mortimer Adler. Author of a dozen books, including The Idea of Progress, The Joy of Reading, and A History of Knowledge, he has moderated seminars for more than fifty years, twenty-four at The Aspen Institute.
