Tom Schwartz Quotes

Barry Schwartz’s distinction between maximizers and satisficers has given us the counterintuitive insight that restricting our choices in life can actually lead to greater happiness and satisfaction, and

When someone does something that hurts us, it’s easy for us to think that if we forgive that person, we’re doing so for his or her sake.  The truth is, though, that we ourselves benefit the most from our forgiveness.  That forgiveness can rid us of the poisons of anger and resentment, two emotions that hold us prisoner and keep us from moving on with our lives in happy and fulfilling ways.  When we carry a grudge, we’re really carrying around a weapon that we’re using against ourselves.  Our negative feelings rarely affect the other person all that much, but they keep us in a deep dark hole that keeps us from seeing the sunshine and feeling the fresh air.      Do yourself a favor:  forgive.  As Morrie Schwartz said shortly before his death, “Forgive everyone everything” before it’s too late to do so.  Your life will take a turn for the better when you can truly forgive anyone who has done you wrong.

Let’s illustrate this with two hypothetical persons. As you read on you’ll recognize these characters among the real people you know. We’ll call them Tom and Jack. These fellows are comparable in all respects except one: Tom has a firmly entrenched goal; Jack does not. Tom has a crystal-clear image of what he wants to be. He pictures himself as a corporation vice president ten years hence. Because Tom has surrendered to his goal, his goal through his subconscious mind signals to him saying “do this” or “don’t do that; it won’t help get you where you want to go.” The goal constantly speaks, “I am the image you want to make real. Here is what you must do to make me real.” Tom’s goal does not pilot him in vague generalities. It gives him specific directions in all his activities. When Tom buys a suit, the goal speaks and shows Tom the wise choice. The goal helps to show Tom what steps to take to move up to the next job, what to say in the business conference, what to do when conflict develops, what to read, what stand to take. Should Tom drift a little off course, his automatic instrumentation, housed securely in his subconscious mind, alerts him and tells him what to do to get back on course. Tom’s goal has made him supersensitive to all the many forces at work that affect him. Jack, on the other hand, lacking a goal, also lacks the automatic instrumentation to guide him. He is easily confused. His actions reflect no personal policy. Jack wavers, shifts, guesses at what to do. Lacking consistency of purpose, Jack flounders on the rutty road to mediocrity. May I suggest you reread the above section, right now. Let this concept soak in. Then look around you. Study the very top echelon of successful persons. Note how they, without exception, are totally devoted to their objective. Observe how the life of a highly successful person is integrated around a purpose. Surrender to that goal. Really surrender. Let it obsess you and give you the automatic instrumentation you need to reach that goal.

Sami komunisti, naime, uzročnici sviju navedenih zala, danas se više ne priklanjaju svojemu negdašnjem odabranom nauku i političkom smjeru, premda ga se i ne odriču iskreno, uvjereno i uvjerljivo. Oni ga naknadno nazivaju “antifašizmom", izbjegavajući osramoćeno komunističko ime, kao da će tom semantičkom smicalicom oprati i njegova nedjela. Ali, dočim je jasno i neupitnoda se pokojni komunizam, najvećim dijelom i u bitnom smislu, opirao fašizmu (uz iznimku dvogodišnjeg razdoblja u kojemu je vrijedio pakt Staljin-Hitler, odnosno Molotov-Ribbentrop!), te da je dakle bio antifašistički, istina je i to da su se fašizmu jednako opirale i liberalne demokracije. To jest smisao spomenute semantičke smicalice: sugerirati da je komunistička politika bila jednako blaga i umjerena, benigna, kao i ona zapadnih demokracija. Ta obje su bile protiv najvećeg zla, protiv zločina po sebi, protiv fašizma. Obje su bile antifašističke, u tome se utapaju sve njihove razlike. Jer, ako se komunizam borio protiv totalitarnoga što ga se pripisuje fašizmu, onda jasno da nije mogao i sam biti totaliaran. Neka - doduše ponešto osebujna - vrsta demokracije, dakle. I dok se bivši komunizam danas, u refleksu samoobrane i samoopravdavanja, eufemistički naziva “antifašizmom'"!**, njegovi kritičari gotovo u pravilu osuđuju ga kao “fašizam", možda uz dodatak “crveni" (za razliku od crnog). ali svakako “fašizam". Antifašističkim kritičarima komunizma čini se da nema većega zla na ovom svijetu od fašizma (naučili su se riječ “fašizam" rabiti u funkciji batine, umjesto kako bi njome označili jedan zbiljski povijesni pokret i poredak!), te da stoga ne bi djelovalo dostatno strašno kada bi se za komunizam rabilo njegovo vlastito ime, [ tako komunizam, u različitim uporabama, već prema tome drži li ga se nečim dobrim ili nečim lošim, postaje i “antifašizam" i “fašizam"", samo da ne_bi morao biti onim što jest, naime komunizmom. Komunisti se boje da bi riječ “komunizam“ zvučala odveć odbojno, a antikomunisti da je ona preblaga za označavanje nevolja što nam ih je donijela ta povijesna pošast. Komunizam je, ipak, bio dostatno katastrofalni fenomen ljudske povijesti da bi ga se moglo zvati po imenu, ne angažirajući, radi efekta, tobože veća zla.

Tom Staley, meet Tom Staley—an important, a really important person. Tom, you’re a big thinker, so think big. Think Big about Everything. You’ve got plenty of ability to do a first-class job, so do a first-class job. Tom, you believe in Happiness, Progress, and Prosperity. So: talk only Happiness, talk only Progress, talk only Prosperity. You have lots of drive, Tom, lots of drive. So put that drive to work. Nothing can stop you, Tom, nothing. Tom, you’re enthusiastic. Let your enthusiasm show through. You look good, Tom, and you feel good. Stay that way. Tom Staley, you were a great fellow yesterday and you’re going to be an even greater fellow today. Now go to it, Tom. Go forward