RBBiz Day 8: Dr. Eric Maisel

Creative Business

Oooh, lots of good stuff on Thursday’s Summit session.

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While Dr. Maisel said a lot of really thought-provoking things, he expressed himself very matter-of-factly, was very realistic, cut and dried, and down to earth but–and this is the big thing–without coming off as condescending or judgmental. So much so that I really enjoyed listening to what he had to say and have added several of his books (Why Smart People Hurt, Life Purpose Boot Camp, and others) to my reading list because I suspect there’s a lot of smart things to learn there about making our worlds into what we want.

I recognized some of the things I already practice in some of what he said (the cognitive therapy of assessing and correcting thoughts that serve no positive purpose, for instance) but, like previous presenters, the way he was able to encapsulate it was brilliant. As you would hope from someone who’s spend a lot of time working on these themes!

I know a lot of people in the chat recognized habits when he compared creativity to the ups and downs of bipolar disorder (not trivializing bipolar, just that we share common traits when we’re in the thick of a new project). He was also very clear to point out that the work is hard–doesn’t matter what work it is–but that if we decide the work has meaning (very big on the conscious choices of designating meaning and purpose to our lives) then even the hard/low/frustrating/maddening parts aren’t near as bad as if we decided the pursuit was meaningless.

Let that sink in a moment.

Only one more day to go on the 5th (and still possibly final, at least in this form) Right Brainers in Business Summit. And it sounds like it’s going to be pretty epic with SARK as the guest!