Flourish by Daniel Coyle
I just finished reading Flourish: The Art of building Meaning, Joy and Fulfilment by Daniel Coyle. I listened to Dan Coyle on Adam Grants podcast a few weeks ago and his new book sparked my interest.
After the death of his parents, Coyle discovered a quote by Barry Schwartz:
“People mistakenly think life is a treasure hunt. And it is not a treasure hunt. It’s more like a treasure creation.”
Coyle embarked on a journey about what a meaningful life could be and a deeper exploration of flourishing: the experience of joyful, meaningful growth, shared with others.
The book is split in two parts: “Making Meaning” is looking into how cultivating wholehearted attention creates strong and deep relationships, while “Building Community explores how these relationships can create actions allowing people to shape their future together.
Coyle shares lots of insightful stories of people and communities experiencing flourishing. The book is filled with many little gems and quotes of wisdom. Here are some of my favourites:
- Aliveness shows itself in looseness, stories and laughter
- The type of attention we bring to the world changes the world we find
- You let go, and by letting go you connect
Seeking answers drivers people apart. Questions bring people together- Peter Block
- Zingerman’s recipe for 3 steps to great service:
- Find out what they want
- Get it for them
- Go the extra mile
- The rule of beautiful mess: Disorder is not the obstacle; it’s the doorway
- Flow emerges when 3 conditions are met:
- A shared horizon
- Ownership
- Autonomy
very similar to Shared purpose, Mastery and Autonomy, Daniel Pink outlines in Drive.
- The rule of surprise: If you know what’s going to happen, you’re doing it wrong
“Good lives are built from the things that make them hard”- Marc Schulz
“You create energy by listening. That is the only way you connect, the only way make the change.” - Kennedy Odede
“We need to change the question from How good can this player be? to How can we help this player improve?” - Mike Chernoff
The book was a super uplifting and entertaining read. I can highly recommend it. Let me know if you would like to borrow it and I can pass it on to you.
