Worry

I have not given worry much thought but I did read an interesting post on 9 Habits of Being a Worry Free Leader by Denise Marek.

I think worry loosely fits into 2 categories - productive worry - where the worry spurs action and creativity and helps solve the issue. And stressful worry where it does not add to productivity but simply eats at you.

I sort of like the rush of being on edge and to some extent worry does that for me.

Speaking of creativity, I read "How Frank Lloyd Wright Got Into My Head, Under My Skin and Changed the Way I Think About Thinking - A Creative Thinking Blueprint for the 21st Century" by Sandy Sims. Interesting the way title run on these days.

It is a memoir of a man who hears of unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright homes and his journey to get the rights and build the homes. As a memoir, it has intrigue, excitement, and a story line which keeps it interesting. The author certainly seems like an interesting chap.

It has lots of pictures of the construction and finished product. Anyone with an interest in architecture would enjoy that.

It comes with a companion workbook which has a series of exercises and suggestions. Things to do to unlock creativity. I did not do all the exercises but did find the ones I did do to be worthwhile and stimulating.

It is well written, entertaining and light.

As with most good books, it has lots of good quotations like:

"20 Years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain.

Of course, Twain spelled sales wrong and the lawyers keep advising not to leave the safe harbor.

And for completely recreational reading, I strongly recommend the Earnest Shackleton story "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing. It is a captivating true account of a ship wreck in Antarctica. Although it is completely recreational, it is a story of great leadership.